Q18
1 markMCQSection B

Identify the state related with the Chipko Movement :

Forest and Wildlife Resources
Chipko Movement

Options

(A)Arunachal Pradesh
(B)Madhya Pradesh
(C)Uttarakhand
(D)Bihar
Official Answer

(C) Uttarakhand — the Chipko Movement (1973) began in Chamoli district (Garhwal Himalayas), where villagers hugged trees to prevent felling by commercial loggers.

Chipko MovementUttarakhandChamoliSunderlal BahugunaGaura Deviforest conservationcommunity participation

Marking Scheme

  • 11 mark: for correctly selecting option (C) Uttarakhand.

Hint

Chipko means 'to hug' — villagers hugged trees to stop logging in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand.

Quick Oral Answer

The Chipko Movement is associated with Uttarakhand, where villagers hugged trees in the 1970s to prevent commercial logging and protect Himalayan forests.

Analysis & Explanation

The Chipko Movement (1973) is associated with the state of Uttarakhand.


Concept

  • It began in Chamoli district (then part of the Uttar Pradesh hills, now Uttarakhand since 2000).
  • Villagers led by Sunderlal Bahuguna and Gaura Devi hugged trees ("chipko") to stop commercial logging and protect community forests.

Why not the other options

  • Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh (the Bishnoi tree-conservation tradition is linked to Rajasthan) and Bihar have no direct historical connection to the Chipko Movement.

Real-world significance

  • A landmark example of grassroots, community-based forest conservation that inspired later environmental movements across the Himalayan region.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1Confusing the Chipko Movement with the Bishnoi tree-protection tradition of Rajasthan.
  2. 2Selecting Madhya Pradesh due to its large forest cover, without recalling that Chipko specifically began in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand.
  3. 3Not recognising that Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, so older texts may reference 'Uttar Pradesh' for events before that year.

Interesting Facts

The Chipko Movement began in April 1973 in Chamoli district when villagers hugged trees marked for felling by a sports goods company.

Gaura Devi led a group of women from Reni village in 1974 to save nearby forests by embracing trees, making the movement notable for women's leadership.

The success of the Chipko Movement led to a 15-year ban on green felling in Himalayan forests of Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) by the Government of India in 1980.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'Chipko' mean?

'Chipko' is a Hindi word meaning 'to stick' or 'to hug', referring to villagers hugging trees to prevent them from being felled.

Who were the key leaders of the Chipko Movement?

Sunderlal Bahuguna and Gaura Devi were key leaders, along with local villagers of Chamoli district in present-day Uttarakhand.