Environmental Law Assignment

Q1. Role of Women in Environmental Protection

Ans. The environmental protection movement in India began with the Kehjrali movement
and gained momentum through the Chipko movement, Appiko movement, Save Silent Valley
movement, and Narmada Bachao Andolan. The major trend in environmental protection
movements in India emphasises the fact that most participants are women, Adivasis, and
Dalits. Women and the environment are inextricably linked, leading to the development of
ecofeminism theory, which is a field integrating ecological ethics and feminism that tries to
understand the conceptual linkages between environmental degradation and sexist
oppression. Women have a tight relationship with their local environment as farmers and
collectors of water and firewood, and women, children, and marginalised groups are the
primary victims of environmental deterioration, particularly during natural catastrophes. As
women are more immediately touched and influenced by nature than males, they are more
involved in environmental protection. ). Women have been involved in several governmental
& nongovernmental forestry & environment programs.

1. Chipko movement / vriksha andolan / vriksha mitra

2. Community forestry programs

3. Social forestry programs

4. Individual conservation programs

5. SHGs conservation programs

6. Green-Belt movement

7. keep the city clean programs

8. green India clean India programs

Environmental Movements lead by Women around the World

1. Green Belt Movement: The Green Belt Movement is another significant movement in
the history of women and the environment. Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Laureate,
established this project on World Environment Day in June 1977, involving 80,000
women in tree planting. The Green Belt movement strives to combine environmental
rehabilitation with economic prosperity in society. This Maathai-led campaign aimed
 to restore Kenya's rapidly dwindling woodlands while also empowering rural women
through environmental protection.
2. Kenyan land grab: Beginning in the mid-1980s, women in Kenya rebelled against
elites and large foreign firms who were pushed into controlling land production.
Rather than allowing women to plant food for survival, both their husbands and the
government urged them to harvest coffee for foreign profit. Over the next few
decades, the protests grew in number and intensity. The protests finally led in a
Kenyan power change that imposed democratic national elections, allowing for land
redistribution.

Women have always been important in environmental conservation. Women can also assist
reduce population growth, which has been a major cause in the current abysmal conditions.
Women are ideally placed to contribute to family planning.

Women have always been vital in supplying family and societal energy. Insufficient energy
resources and access to efficient energy utilisation technology force people to rely on their
own labour, animal power, and biomass energy to meet daily needs. Women can save energy
resources significantly more efficiently than men with proper environmental education and
understanding. Women are in charge of keeping the home clean, which affects the family's
health and prosperity. Most water, food, and airborne infections can be prevented or reduced
with sufficient information and training. Traditionally, women were kept out of decision-
making roles. Their lack of equal access to education and decision-making capacity has
harmed their social standing. As a result, income, nutrition, health, social support networks,
and home knowledge have suffered. Being close to nature helps women understand
environmental challenges. Because women will be using the facilities, it is important to
include their viewpoints while designing and implementing environmental projects.

Q2. Role of indigenous people in environmental protection

Ans. 1. Role of Indigenous people in Environmental Protection -

1. Their traditional farming practises withstand climate change. Indigenous peoples have
created agricultural systems that are tailored to severe settings including the Andes'
high heights, Kenya's arid plains, and the Arctic's extreme cold. These tried-and-true
methods, such terracing to prevent soil erosion or floating gardens on flooded fields,
 are well-suited to the more dramatic weather and temperature swings caused by
climate change.
2. They protect forests and natural resources. Indigenous peoples regard themselves as
part of the same system as their surroundings. Natural resources are treated as shared
property. Many indigenous groups help reduce climate change by maintaining natural
resources like forests and rivers.
3. Indigenous foods add variety to diets Currently, the globe relies largely on a few
staple crops. Wheat, rice, potatoes, and maize account for half of daily calories.
Indigenous food systems can help mankind increase its food base by providing
healthy local crops like quinoa, oca, and moringa.
4. Indigenous foods are climate resilient Many indigenous peoples live in harsh climates,
thus their crops have had to adapt. Indigenous peoples generally plant native crops
that are more resistant to drought, altitude, flooding, and other severe conditions.
These crops could help farmers adapt to a changing, more harsh climate if they were
more extensively used.
5. Indigenous lands contain 80% of the world's biodiversity, Biodiversity conservation is
vital for food security. Forests, rivers, lakes, and grasslands contain plant and animal
genetic pools. Indigenous peoples conserve these places by living naturally
sustainable lives, preserving natural plant and animal species.
6. Indigenous peoples' lifestyles are localised and resourceful. They have modified their
lifestyles to meet their environs. Indigenous mountain systems protect soil, decrease
erosion, conserve water, and reduce disaster risk. Indigenous pastoralist tribes manage
cattle grazing and crops in rangelands to conserve biodiversity. In the Amazon,
indigenous people enhance ecosystems.
7. Indigenous peoples are valued collaborators in the fight against hunger and climate
change. We cannot address climate change, food security, and nutrition without
involving and respecting indigenous peoples' rights.

Submitted by – Tanish Airan, B.com LL.B. (H), A3221618078