It makes sense to learn from tribal communities on how to live in consonance with nature

If one were to document the struggle, the continued protests and the oppression the communities had to face with, it will be a fascinating documentary series for the Netflix, Prime and other OTT platforms

When I read edited excerpts from President Droupadi Murmu’s speech at the convocation ceremony of the 2022 batch of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer trainees at Dehradun, I was reminded of Alok Shukla, a tireless crusader and convener of the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, who led a successful community campaign that saved 445,000 acres of biodiversity-rich forests in the pristine forests of Hasdeo Aranya.

“Human beings indulge themselves in selective amnesia when it comes to fathom the significance of forests -- It’s the spirit of the forest that moves the earth,” she had said at the convocation. And in the same spirit that she congratulated all the officers passing out that day, I think it will be fair to acknowledge that Alok Shukla too “is a symbol of progress in society.”

Now before you ask me who Alok Shukla is and what earth-shaking contribution has he made to save forests, and that too at a time when plundering of forests was considered to be a collateral damage to achieve a higher economic growth, he received the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize, also referred to as the ‘Green Nobel’. He is among the seven brave hearts from the six continents doing the honours this year. Fearless and daring, his indomitable spirit to take on the mightiest of the economic forces has saved several millions of trees to stand tall in about 4.5-lakh acres of priceless primeval forests in the tribal belt of Chhattisgarh. Not only the immense biological wealth that the Hasdeo community has struggled against all odds to protect, the community effort will also help conserve the traditional knowledge associated with the natural resources in the interest of the humanity.

If I were to make an attempt to ascertain the economic value using the true accounting norms applying the economics of ecosystem and biodiversity (TEEB) approach, this would be worth several trillion rupees.

When I earlier said that Alok Shukla was (and is still) pitted against the mightiest of economic forces, the reference was in relation to 21-planned coal mines that had been allocated in the Hasdeo Aranya forests. After a prolonged and relentless campaign by the tribal communities, the Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (Save Hasdeo Aranya Resistance Committee) that he had formed in 2012 organised the resistance in a manner that was impactful, and eventually managed to force the government to cancel the permits for 21-planned coal mines to some of the most powerful corporations.

In the process, the relentless struggle by the local communities included numerous dharnas (sit-ins), tree-hugging like what has been shown by the famed Chipko movement in the Garhwal hills, and a 166-km march to Raipur, the State capital.

If one were to document the struggle, the continued protests and the oppression the communities had to face with, it will be a fascinating documentary series for the Netflix, Prime and other OTT platforms. It was certainly not the Elephant whispers but the sophisticated sawing machines that the tribals were pitted against.

The Goldman Environmental Prize also comes at a time when the Chipko movement marks its 50th anniversary. The Chipko movement had inspired a nation-wide environmental concern and influenced policy formation, says Down to Earth magazine (April 16-30, 2024). “When the contractor and labourers arrived to cut the forest of Reni village on a March morning in 1973, there was no man in the village,” recalls Chandi Prasad Bhatt who led the transformation, adding that Gaura Devi, who was then the Mahila Mandal chief, led other women to the forests and hugged the trees. The rest of course is history.

Why it is important to remember the Chipko movement is because even in the Hasdeo forests, women had also resorted to tree-hugging. But unlike the commercial loggers who had come to cut trees in the Garhwal region, it was powerful corporations here in Chhattisgarh, aided and abetted by the State government machinery. So perhaps Chhattisgarh needed more to save the trees, and that is where the community resistance became necessary.

Balancing economic development with environmental protection has often been talked about, but when it comes to saving forests for the sake the humanity especially at a time of climate boiling, economics invariably takes precedence. While it is known that some of the world’s biggest industries guzzle an estimated $7.3 trillion worth of natural capital every year that is clearly leading the planet towards a civilisation crisis, I don’t see even a remorse concern at the way plundering of natural resources is being allowed. Cutting down forests will lead to drying of global water cycles in the atmosphere. As a Yale University study pointed out, forests moderate local climate by keeping their local environments cool.

A single tree can transpire hundreds of litres of water in a day. Each hundred litres has a cooling effect equivalent to two domestic air-conditioners for a day. But does anyone care?

The Parliament was informed in September 2020 that more than 10.76-million trees were to be cut down or marked for felling since 2015. Any educated will vote for clearing of forests for infra projects and highways even without knowing whether the projects coming up are in reality required. Forest laws are also being diluted to make way for commercial projects. We haven’t learnt any lessons.

In the book ‘The Great Nicobar Betrayal’(a Frontline publication), a compilation of articles, the proposed Rs. 72,000-crore mega project that is planned will destroy the island’s delicate rainforest ecosystem and its indigenous people, says its editor, Pankaj Sekhsaria. Nearly a million trees are to be axed over 130 sq km area. From its present population of 8,000 it is planned to be increased to 350,000 in the next 30 years. This is what is called as ‘disaster capitalism’.

We have to move away from such visible disasters. Whether in Nicobar Island or Hasdeo forests, relearn from the tribal communities on how to live in consonance with nature. Learn from a frog in the well, it doesn’t drink away the pond but lives in harmony. The rights of the people to whom the forests belong cannot be frittered away. This can only happen if we remove most misconceptions we have about economic growth.

Learn how to live in harmony with nature, and therefore all our efforts should be to conserve and preserve these natural resources. This is where Alok Shukla has shown the country a way to think beyond the colonial outlook. We need a different set of economic principles to save the planet from a collapse. We cannot continue with the outdated growth model any further.

(The author is a noted food policy analyst and an expert on issues related to the agriculture sector. He writes on food, agriculture and hunger)