Standing Up for Trees: Women's Role in the Chipko Movement

Abstract

"The Chipko Movement has attracted world-wide attention. The image of poor, rural women in the hills of northern India standing with their arms around trees to prevent them being cut down is a romantic and compelling one. The reality, in many ways, fits the image: the Chipko Movement can indeed be considered an important success story in the fight to secure women's rights, in the process of local community development through forestry and in environmental protection. But there are more com plicated implications as well. It is important to understand the history of Chipko and the context in which it arose - and is still evolving."