Spirited individuals are working hard to protect the environment. Every time the situation feels bleak because of the enormity of the problem, these are the people and ideals we can look to for inspiration, and fight the good fight. Text by Shatakshi Gawade.
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy of the Native Americans has a firm belief embedded in their culture: “You must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. Make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today.” The strength of this Seventh Generation Principle, from what is recognised as the oldest democracy in the world, forms the basis of sustainable development, ensuring the conservation of the natural world.
Silent Valley National Park in Kerala. Photo: Nihal Jabeen/Sanctuary Photolibrary.
Like the Haudenosaunee, spirited, passionate individuals across the globe work hard to preserve and protect the very environment that makes our lives possible, ensuring clean air, water and food, and the joy of coexisting with magnificent living beings. They face greed, rigid laws, life-threatening situations, difficult governments as they become the voice for the natural world. Every time the situation feels bleak because of the enormity of the problem (can we ever forget the climate crisis?), these are the people and ideals we must look to.
The remarkably brave Amrita Devi and her three daughters laid down their lives to protect their sacred khejri trees from the king’s axe, in 1730 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Their fierce fight spread to the rest of their Bishnoi community, claiming the lives of 363 more people, until the king rushed to the village to apologise and grant protection to the forest. Amrita Devi’s Chipko (meaning ‘to hug’) was among the first environmental movements of the country!
The Chipko Andolan mobilised hill communities, especially women and children. Photo: Public Domain.
She inspired the Chipko Andolan in Uttarakhand two centuries later, in 1973. The women of the Himalayan village of Mandal embraced their trees to protect them from government-backed logging. The success of their non-violent response in the face of unruly men and systemic pressure quickly spread to other mountain villages, protecting the forests, and thus the rivers, biodiversity and people’s right to their resources. The victory of the community against big companies and the government in the Chipko Andolan has inspired people as far as Sweden and Japan!
Large hydroelectric projects change the flow of the river they are built on, and engulf the land where the massive reservoir is built. An extraordinary people’s movement in Kerala’s Palakkad District saved the Silent Valley forest from suffering this fate. Over 10 years, thousands of people pressured the government through petitions and appeals in court, letters, demonstrations, seminars and awareness programmes. In a thumping victory for the people, Silent Valley was declared a national park in 1986!
For the Haudenosaunee, law, society and nature are equal partners and each plays an important role. Photo: Public Domain/John Mix Stanley.
Working in close contact with different national governments, the Sea Shepherd fleet of ships works zealously to enforce laws that protect marine life and the largest ecosystem on Earth, by stopping illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. For instance through Operation Milagro (miracle in Spanish), they have been protecting the vaquita porpoise, endemic to a small region in Mexico’s waters, for the past nine years. This has given the vaquita a chance to survive, and also protected the threatened totoaba fish.
Sea Shepherd’s dedicated mission gave the endemic vaquita a chance to survive. Photo: Public Domain/Paula Olsen.
The Indigenous Cofán protected their sacred territory in the rainforest of Amazon from destructive gold mining sanctioned by the Ecuadorian government by employing ingenious tactics such as drone patrols. Their win in the lawsuit against the government in 2018 protected 79,000 acres of primary rainforest. It was only 250 Cofán that won this victory against the Goliath government! In Tanzania, the Maasai tribesman Edward Loure led his people to victory by gaining stewardship rights to 200,000 acres of land for the community for their cattle and natural resources, and protection of the rich wildlife through their peaceful coexistence.
Maasai tribe member Edward Loure led his people to victory by gaining stewardship rights to 200,000 acres of land. Photo Courtesy: Goldman Environmental Prize.
We are an extension of the planet, breathing the same air the magnificent tiger breathes. Within us is the fire and power of the wild to stand up to corporations and governments, at the local, national and global level. For our aid we can rely on laws of the land, courts, social media, news organisations, several civil society organisations and countless brave individuals. The power of the individual is immense, as we see right here! As the civil rights leader, John Lewis said: “If not us, then who? If not now, when?”
Shatakshi Gawade is an Assistant Editor at Sanctuary Asia. She has worked with mainstream media, as a freelancer, and as a researcher, campaigner and communication strategist with nvironment organisations.
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