Emma Watson praises Indian women for Chipko Movement: Thank you for protecting our forests

Emma Watson, who is known for her achievements in film and acting has been a long advocate for the environment. 

Watson recently lauded India's Chipko movement and praised Indian rural women for protecting trees and forests. Taking to her Instagram handle, Watson shared a black and white picture showing rural women surrounding a tree to prevent them from cutting it down. 

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Sharing the photo, Emma hailed Indian women and wrote, "Thank you for protecting our forests and trees!."

Further explaining the movement, she wrote, "The women pictured here were part of the Chipko movement, a non-violent social and ecological moment by rural villagers, particularly women, in India during the 1970s. Here they are protecting a tree from government logging.⁠" 

"The Hindi word Chipko means to 'hug' or 'cling to,' reflected in the demonstrator's primary tactic of embracing trees to protect them from loggers," added the actor.

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Several Indian users thanked Watson for putting a light on the moment. A user wrote, "Thnx you for represent india in good way or positively," while another one commented, "Yess it was for the protest against cutting trees for road highway. And these trees are still there." 

The Chipko movement was a forest conservation movement in India, originated in 1973 in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India and went on to become a rallying point for many future environmental movements all over the world. It created a precedent for starting nonviolent protests in India.