Balbir Singh a farmer from Nakodar’s Seham village near Jalandhar in Punjab, has asked members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, Nihang organizations and environment lovers to join him for a movement to save a 250-year-old Banyan tree. 

This movement started when officials from NHAI asked him to sell his land to them for the Bharat Mala project. The NHAI is planning to buy 4.5 acres of his land. Although, he is willing to sell his land, he is opposing the tree being taken down.  

This banyan tree is 250-year-old and is in the center of the area NHAI wants to buy. They told the tree is the pride of the whole village. The banyan tree is home to many birds. It also provides shade for cattle, small animals and even the village’s people.  

Many people have come to support this movement from which one is an activist, Jagdish Chander. He has urged everyone to visit the location and support this movement and discuss specific plans to save the tree.  

Additionally, the locals have made an appeal to environmentalist and Rajya Sabha member Balbir S. Seechewal on behest of the cause.  

Balbir Singh was offered an extra Rs 45,000 for this tree, but he turned down the offer. But this is not the first time people are coming together to save a tree. There have been many movements before, but it first started with Chipko Movement. 

Chipko Movement: Embracing Trees for Conservation

This movement took place in 1970s, when villagers, especially women, physically embraced the trees from being cut down. It was started by activist Gaura Devi; they formed a human chain around the tree. As the movement gained momentum, such protests erupted across India to save the trees. This movement got its name “Chipko” as it means “to embrace” in Hindi. It symbolized the approach of activists’ physically hugging tree. 

Green Belt Movement: Empowering Women and the Environment

Another environmental and social initiative was by Wangari Maathai in Kenya in 1977. The name of this movement is Green Belt Movement. Its main goal was to stop deforestation and give women more power by planting trees. This movement started when severe deforestation in Kenya led to soil erosion, water shortages and loss of biodiversity.  

Maathai was granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for this movement. This movement continues to promote environmental conservation and empowering women.  

What is deforestation?  

Chopping down one tree may seem trivial, but it severely impacts the ecosystem. Deforestation is cutting down of trees or destructing forest for making roads, industries or such purposes. As urbanization is at its peak; deforestation is a matter of grave When you cut down a tree knowingly or unknowingly you harm a lot of living beings.  

How deforestation impacts ecosystem? 

A forest is inundated with ere are variety of flora and fauna variety of numerous plants and animals in forests. When you cut down a tree it destroys their natural habitats. As their ecosystems get disturbed, many species risk going extinct.  

Forest absorbs and release water, which makes them crucial for water cycle. In addition to reducing water availability, changes in rainfall patterns occurs and risk of floods and droughts also increases.  

Whether for development projects or a personal reason, cutting down trees comes at a high ecological, environmental, and social cost. Trees plays an important role for sustaining local communities, preventing soil erosion and controlling climate. We can accomplish our objectives and protect the environment. We can protect the environment by reforestation, sustainable land management and investing in green technologies. Implementing these substitutes guarantee a fair and sustainable future for everyone.