WESTERN GHATS MOVEMENT

Hi, my name is Saumya Jain and today I am going to shed light on a crucial movement that echoes
through the hills and valleys of our beloved Western Ghats—the Western Ghats Movement. This
movement is not merely a call for environmental preservation; it is a collective voice demanding the
safeguarding of a biodiversity hotspot that is integral to our planet’s health.

The Western Ghats, stretching over six states in India, is a treasure trove of unique flora and fauna.
However, rampant deforestation, unplanned urbanization, and unsustainable development threaten
this ecological marvel. The movement began a response to the environmental degradation of the
mountain range's ecosystem through deforestation and continued urbanization projects. The
Western Ghats movement was started by a multitude of local environmental and people's
movements. One of these participating movements was the Peaceful Society, led by Kumar Kalanand
Mani, who was the main coordinator and point person of the march. Mani was joined by other key
members including Professor Kailash Chandra Malhotra and the CEO of the World Wildlife Fund for
Nature in India (WWF) Thomas Mathew.

In 1987, the movement's first and main protest was organized as a march in which advocates,
including many locals, traversed the length of the mountain range over several months. The intent of
this march was to encourage support for a more sustainable approach to developing the Western
Ghats. The March was a 100 days event, which included 95 days of actual travel along the entire
length of the Ghats plus 5 days of Conference and meetings in Goa. The march was in two teams,
one starting from Navapur in the North and the other from Kanyakumari in the south.
Representatives from over 160 Organizations and thousands of individuals participated in the march,
the number sometimes swelling to several hundred at any one time for shorter stretches. There were
over 600 meetings conducted during the course of the route. There was extensive media coverage
not only in the local press but also on the national and even international level.

The key objectives of the March-

1. To generate awareness among the people about ecology and related issues like denudation of
forests, afforestation, preservation of wildlife, natural resources etc.

2. To learn more facts about the nature and extent of ecological destruction of the Western Ghats.

3. To expose young research scholars to the filed situations so that they could view the problems in a
wider perspective.

4. To bring together all voluntary organisations working in the region, to formulate some long - term
common ecological programmes.

5. To encourage academic institutions, involvement of schools in the area to take up afforestation

and other ecologically relevant programmes.

Now, while it was a landmark event on par with the Chipko movement and Narmada Bachao
movement and garnered immense support, it was not able to capitalize on this enthusiasm. After the
march, there was no effective follow up because the participating agencies were not able to reach a
consensus on an action plan.