A review of "Appiko- to embrace"
by Paul Wolvekamp

Once in a while you watch a film which brings you to the heart of the matter. The heart in this case being made of inspired people who show the world a way forward - away from environmental and social hardship - and onto a path that is straight forward in the sense that it brings us to concrete living examples of people caring for nature and for other people's well being. This film on the Appiko Movement, developed by the Rainforest Information Centre (Australia) in collaboration with Appiko, narrates the story of a broad based grassroots movement in the forested mountainous Western Ghats range in South West India.

The people starting Appiko, meaning in local Kanada 'hug the tree', obtained their inspiration from the women led Chipko movement in North India's Himalayan foothills. Appiko emerged during the late 1970s as a vigilant mass movement, supported by thousands of villagers living along the Western Ghats, notably in the state of Karnataka, but also in Kerela. But also merchants, accountants and other city based people started to sympathize with the message and mission of Appiko and started to provide tangible assistance in the form of free office space, food provisions to sustain people during marches etc. Appiko was able to persuade the government, supported by media accounts, eminent scientists and so forth, to introduce a ban of the felling of green trees in Western Ghats in Karnataka. Furthermore, Appiko challenged large dams, mining, river polluting paper factories and other destructive 'development' projects. Changing socio-economic and cultural circumstances challenge Appiko to adapt its strategies.

In 2005, 25 years later, Appiko is still active and its message even more valuable than ever. It offers villagers, NGOs and policy makers a vision, an alternative avenue of sustainable development, based on long term prudent exploitation of forest resources, with an emphasis on extraction of non-timber forest products, organic agriculture, renewable energy etc. My advise: order this film, watch it and share it widely. You do yourself and others a service.

Paul Wolvekamp, Both ENDS