Focus on forests and women as India hosts World Environment Day

(June 06, 2011) India for the first time this year served as global host of the June 5 United Nations' World Environment Day, on Sunday, marking the occasion with a week-long series of events across the country that included walkathons, tree planting and a green marketplace, films and art, and a seminar honouring the role of women in environmental protection. The events all had a forest theme in keeping with this International Year of Forests. India's Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh chaired a one day seminar on "Nature and Livelihood: Women's Perspective" in New Delhi, at which about 100 women from civil society organizations across the country shared their experiences of protecting forests. Ramesh announced the establishment of the Gaura Devi Award to recognize the initiatives of Gaura Devi, a village woman who started the tree-hugger, or Chipko, movement in 1974 by gathering several dozen women to hug the trees in her village to protect them from being felled. The Gaura Devi Award will carry a citation and cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs (US$4,470). UNEP, UN’s Environment Programme released a new report entitled, "Forests in a Green Economy: A Synthesis," which says that investing an additional $40 billion in the forestry sector each year could halve deforestation, create millions of new jobs and help tackle the devastating effects of climate change. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner highlighted the environmental concerns in the global perspective and praised the initiatives of women leaders at grassroots level in India in environmental awareness and forest conservation.