Review the role of Chipko Andolan?

The origin of Chipko Andolan in the hills of Uttrakhand and Garhwal may be traced to the famous movement, started about 300 years ago in Rajasthan under the dynamic leadership of a Bishnoi woman named Amrita Devi. A Rajasthan leader decided to cut the 'Khejri' tree in this state. In a remarkable display of courage and determination, about 300 local village women led by Amrita Devi, embraced and clung to the trees to prevent the felling of the trees. These women were beaten mercilessly. Later the rules realized his mistake, and ordered his men to stop cutting the trees.

Uttrakhand is the source of two major rivers in India; know as the Ganga and Yamuna. It was fast becoming a place of landslides, erosions and drying up of water sources.

The story of the 300 women was remembered and revived in the 1970s when sever tree felling was carried out by timber constructor. The local women in the areas of Uttrakhand and Garhwal fully supported by people like Sundarlal Bahergunm, led a people movement to prevent deforestation called 'The Chipko Movement' in memory of the time during which 300 Bishnoi women had hugged and clung to trees and sacrificed
their lives.

The term Chipko is a Hindi expression which means to hug and raise, clinging trees and prevent them from being cut.

Under the leadership of Guara Bai, this mass movement was fully supported and actively participated by the rural women, who embraced and hugged and clung to trees to prevent tree felling.

Today, the Chipko Andolan has grown to more than 4000 groups working to save India's forests. The tribal and local people of the forest and hilly areas are totally dependent for their livelihood on the natural resources locally available to them. Their right to life depends upon the protection and preservation of the environment.