Archive · 10 Sep 2026
How Chipko Inspired Karnataka’s Appiko Forest Movement
Pandurang Hegde learned to protect forests from the Chipko activists in the Himalayas.
They showed him how to work closely with villagers and understand their daily needs.
Villagers depended on forests for fuel, fodder, and water.
Hegde wanted to use these lessons to protect forests in South India.
He walked along the Kali River in Karnataka to explain the need for conservation.
The area was losing old forests because of dam construction and plans for teak plantations.
This helped inspire the Appiko Movement.
The movement spread across several districts and opposed cutting natural forests.
In 1989, Karnataka banned the cutting of green trees in natural forests.
Pandurang Hegde trained at Parvatiya Navjeevan Ashram, a Chipko Movement center in Uttarakhand.
Chipko activists taught him grassroots organizing and the close dependence of Himalayan villages on forests.
He later walked from Karwar to the Kali River’s source to promote forest conservation in South India.
The Appiko Movement opposed clear-felling natural forests and replacing them with teak monoculture plantations.
After sustained grassroots pressure, Karnataka imposed a 1989 ban on felling green trees in natural forests.
- Who
- Pandurang Hegde, Chipko activists, village communities, and Karnataka forest activists.
- What
- The Chipko Movement inspired Hegde to launch the Appiko Movement to oppose deforestation and protect natural forests.
- When
- Hegde trained with Chipko activists before launching the Appiko campaign; Karnataka imposed the forest-felling ban in 1989.
- Where
- The training took place at Parvatiya Navjeevan Ashram in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, while the Appiko campaign spread through Karnataka’s Western Ghats, including the Kali River and Sirsi regions.
- Why
- The movements sought to stop clear-felling, monoculture plantations, industrial timber concessions, and other policies damaging forests and communities’ natural resources.
Forest Conservation Activists
Government and Industrial Forestry Policies
Natural forests versus plantations
Forest Conservation Activists
Activists opposed clear-felling natural forests to establish teak monoculture plantations and demanded protection of old-growth forests.
Government and Industrial Forestry Policies
The forestry policy described in the article supported converting natural forests to teak plantations under the label of “scientific forestry.”
Tree-felling and timber concessions
Forest Conservation Activists
Activists argued that timber concessions and even removing two trees per hectare were causing large-scale damage, leading them to demand a moratorium on felling green trees.
Government and Industrial Forestry Policies
Wood-based industries received timber concessions, and forest-felling practices continued until grassroots pressure contributed to a policy change.
Movement response
Forest Conservation Activists
Village youth and other groups organized protests and persuaded communities to oppose forest destruction.
Government and Industrial Forestry Policies
The government initially tried to stop the movement’s spread but later agreed to halt clear-felling and imposed a broader ban in 1989.
- Chipko center
- Parvatiya Navjeevan Ashram overlooked the Bhilangana Valley in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand.
- Mentor
- Sunderlal Bahuguna trained activists to protect nature and work with hill communities.
- South Indian campaign
- Hegde walked from Karwar to Diggi, near the Kali River’s origin on the Goa-Karnataka border.
- Initial Appiko demand
- The movement called for an end to clear-felling natural forests and converting them into teak plantations.
- Geographic spread
- The movement spread from Kodagu to South Kanara and Shimoga districts in Karnataka.
- Policy outcome
- Karnataka imposed a ban on felling green trees in natural forests in 1989.
- Forest dependence
- Villagers used surrounding forests for fodder, fuel, and water.