Appiko Movement 1983
Karnataka’s Uttar Kannada which forms part of the Western Ghats, is known
as the ‘forest district’. The area has rich forest wealth with a typical micro
climate for cash crops such as black pepper and cardaman. During the colonial
rule, the rich forest resources were exploited; the teak trees were felled to
build ships and timber and fuel woods were sent to Mumbai. After
independence, the government also began felling trees for revenue and the
Forest Department, which continued the colonial forest policy, converted the
primeral tropical forests into monoculture teak and eucalyptus
plantations…….A group of youth in Balegadde village, protesting against
moves to establish teak plantations, wrote to forest officials asking them to
stop clearing the natural forest. But this appeal was ignored. Then the villagers
decided to launch a movement. They invited S. L. Bahuguna, the architect of
Chipko movement and gathered local people to take up oath to protect trees by
embracing them. In September 1983, when the axe-men came for felling to the
Kalase forests, people embraced the trees and thus the ‘Appiko movement was
launched.
