India and Environmental Literacy
          The Indian tradition teaches us that “all forms of life: animal and plant are so closely linked that disturbance in one gives rise to an imbalance in the other”.
Green Movements in India
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Chipko movement was the first environmentalist movement in the India. The Chipko movement is a tribal, women-centered struggle against deforestation and mining operations in the mountains. The movement was an act of defiance against the state government's permission given to a corporation for commercial logging.
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The Bishnois, a community in Rajasthan, is an example of human beings living in harmony with nature. Among the 29 principles propounded by the founder of the sect prophet, Lord Jhambheshwar, 3 are focused on nature conservation. Cutting and lopping of green trees is strictly prohibited there. They maintain groves, for the animals to graze and birds to feed. Groves serve as important recharges of rain water in the aquifers in the desert, where every single drop of water is precious.
Indian environmentalism very much involves the poor, tribal & women population. The Bishnois community; people involved in Chipko movement are also considered to be environmentally literate because of the interaction between people and the environment. They have sound knowledge of their surroundings. Indian rural women are also said to be environmentally literate. They have 'naturally' positive attitudes towards environmental conservation. They collect the dead branches of trees which are fallen by storm to use as fuel wood rather than cutting the live trees. They are most severely affected by environmental degradation. Women are considered the primary users of natural resources (Land, forest, and water), because they are the ones who are responsible for gathering food, fuel, and fodder. Shouldering this responsibility leads them to learn more about soil, plants, and trees and not misuse them. These rural women tend to have a closer relationship with land and other natural resources, which promotes a new culture of respectful use and preservation of natural resources and the environment, ensuring that the following generations can meet their needs. Women give greater priority to protection of and improving the capacity of nature, maintaining farming lands, and caring for nature and environment's future. Repeated studies have shown that women have a stake in environment, and this stake is reflected in the degree to which they care about natural resources.
          India has a tradition of protecting its forest through 'Sacred Groves'. Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within these forest patches. Other forms of forest usage like honey collection and deadwood collection are sometimes allowed on a sustainable basis.
What is Sacred Grove
Sacred groves comprise of patches of forests or natural vegetation – from a few trees to forests of several acres – that are usually dedicated to local folk deities or tree spirits. These spaces are protected by local communities because of their religious beliefs and traditional rituals that run through several generations.
          In India, sacred groves are found all over the country and abundantly along the Western Ghats in the states of Kerala and Karnataka. Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported from all over India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora, amid rural and even urban settings. Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000. From Maharashtra 2820 Sacred groves (Devrai) have been documented. Sindhudurg district rank first in the number (1499) as well as area (1892.96 Ha) covered by sacred groves in the state.