Description

This paper is an attempt to understand an environmental movement, specifically the Appiko Chaluvali of Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. This movement played an important role in saving the forests of the Western Ghats, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the country in the 1980s. The Appiko Chaluvali was a spontaneous movement started by the local communities who struggled collectively against all odds to regain control over productive natural resources and to defend their livelihoods and lifestyles. Some of the larger questions that are raised through this paper are -whether this movement is different from other environmental movements? What does this movement tell us about environmental movements in general?

Manisha Rao is an Assistant Professor at the University Department of Sociology, S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai, India. After completing a Masters in Sociology at University of Pune and an M. Phil. From Dept. of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India, she went on to complete her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pune. Her research was on the study of an Environmental Movement –Appiko Movement in Southern India, which is forthcoming as a book. Her areas of interest include Environment, Gender & Development Studies. She has presented papers at national and International conferences & published articles in various journals and books. She lives with her family in Mumbai, India.