Discuss the role of women and communities in protection and conservation of forests.

Peoples’ participation has been very crucial in the protection and conservation of forests. A few of the examples of the active participation includes:

(i) The daring act by a Bishnoi woman- Amrita Devi in 1731 who hugged a tree to protect it from getting cut down by king’s men for procuring wood for the construction of new palace. She along with other villagers lost their lives protecting the trees from being cut down.

(ii) In the memory of Amrita Devi, government has instituted Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award for individuals or communities from rural areas whohav show enormous courage and dedication to protecting wildlife.

(iii) In 1974, local women in Garhwal, Himalayas showed enormous courage in protecting the trees by hugging them. This started the very famous Chipko Movement.

(iv) Government has initiated Joint Forest Management (JFM) so as to work closely with the local communities in protecting and managing forests.