History hasn’t been without its heroes, who have marched for the trees, sung for the tigers, and raised arms for the oceans, gathering waves of like-minded people. Shatakshi Gawade writes about the Nature Influencers of our times.
One seed. One idea. One voice. That is all it takes to start a forest, a story, or light a revolution.
Once upon a time, humans were just one of the many creatures on Earth, living wild. As civilisations grew, our relationship with nature steadily became one of use (often overuse). Yet, the planet has always had heroes, who have marched for the trees and rivers, sung for the tigers, and raised arms for the oceans, gathering wave upon wave of like-minded people. Here is a small list!
We are fortunate to still witness tigers in India’s forests, thanks to Project Tiger and the relentless dedication of forest officers, conservationists, and local communities. Photo: Anandu M./Sanctuary Photolibrary.
Rachel Carson, a marine scientist, realised that the use of the pesticide DDT was disastrous for the health of all living beings. The fearless Carson and her book Silent Spring, published in 1962, are credited with giving birth to the modern environmental movement. Her work also led to the establishment of USA’s Environmental Protection Agency (which is like our Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), and influenced the ban of DDT in 1972. One determined person with a pen – a scientific pen, is certainly mighty!
Such phenomenal Nature Influencers don’t exist only in our memories. One of the biggest influencers for nature recently entered the 100th year of his life on the planet – Sir David Attenborough, the English broadcaster, naturalist, and writer! His films have inspired countless people over seven decades to take on conservation, and have influenced environmental policies.
As climate change and environmental destruction wreaks havoc, he is now urgently warning us to take action. He hasn’t lost hope that things will get better, and we must not either. So don’t be afraid to stand in front of or behind the camera, or write that essay for the natural world!
The planet has always had heroes to raise their voice for her. Photo: Markus Spiske/Pexels.
India is home to many courageous people who have fought tooth and nail for the wild. Sunderlal Bahuguna led the grassroots Chipko Movement in the 1970s in the Himalaya to prevent deforestation, influencing the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Medha Patkar, a firebrand lady who you must try to meet, founded the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) to protest displacement caused by large dams such as Sardar Sarovar. She brought to light the social and environmental costs of large-scale development projects.
Medha Patkar has championed the rights of displaced communities. Photo: Rainer Horig/Sanctuary Photolibrary.
M.C. Mehta (known as the Green Avenger of India!) is among the most influential environmental lawyers – he single-handedly filed many Public Interest Litigations to fight pollution and the destruction of the environment. Thanks to him, Delhi switched to the cleaner CNG as fuel for public transport, reducing air pollution. Speaking of laws, India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid a strong foundation for the legal framework to protect nature. She spearheaded several environmental legislations such as the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and also Project Tiger in 1973.
M.C. Mehta promoted cleaner CNG as fuel for public transport in Delhi. Photo: Danniel Mennerich/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Thanks to Project Tiger, ably helmed by its first Director Kailash Sankhala and others such as Saroj Raj Choudhary, Deb Roy, Fateh Singh Rathore and Billy Arjan Singh, the tiger population in India increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022. The key to its success was a collaboration of committed forest officials and conservationists. This was indeed a ‘viral’ campaign of its times. The magnificent cat, unknown to it, became an influencer for its home – as funds were allocated to protect it, its habitat and prey base were automatically protected. Like the tiger, Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, and vultures have been great influencers for their homes!
Sunderlal Bahuguna, an environmentalist and visionary, led the Chipko Movement. Photo: Public Domain.
In 1971, a group of young activists set sail in a rickety old boat to stop atomic bomb tests on Amchitka island, Alaska, marking the beginning of the iconic global organisation Greenpeace. Founding member Robert Hunter introduced the use of ‘media mindbombs’ – the use of powerful visuals to spark action. We know these as ‘viral campaigns’ today. Greenpeace used this strategy to show the brutality of whale hunting, a campaign that played a key role in the ban on commercial whaling in 1986.
As we cook up ways to involve more people in the good fight, we must remember that nature is our greatest ally. As Sir David Attenborough says, “The solutions aren’t all about sacrifices and aren’t all decades away.” You and I, we are the solution for a future where every species thrives, we are the story now. So tell it. Sing it. Paint it. Live it.
Shatakshi is a Senior Editor at Sanctuary Asia. She met endless wild creatures and compassionate people in her books in school, and now takes every opportunity to meet them in person through her work!
