The Chipko movement was the culmination of an effort to protect India's forests. The movement was led by conservationist Sunderlal Bahuguna and got its name from the Hindi word "chilla ploki" which means "to hug". The movement began in 1973 when Bahuguna encouraged peasants to embrace trees rather than cut them down for firewood.
Collective efforts were made by local villagers, particularly women, who would encircle a tree while others would step on the branches of surrounding trees to prevent anyone from cutting the sole tree down. Chipko protests were most successful in areas where there had been recent large-scale commercial logging or land clearance.
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