Who is Chhattisgarh activist Alok Shukla receive Goldman Prize for Hasdeo movement

Alok Shukla, the convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), will receive the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize, also dubbed the Green Nobel, on Monday. Shukla is being honoured for his efforts in safeguarding Hasdeo Arand, a vast expanse of dense forest covering 170,000 hectares in central India, which is home to 23 coal blocks.

Alok Shukla led a successful community campaign that saved 445,000 acres of biodiversity-rich forests from 21 planned coal mines in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. In July 2022, the government cancelled the 21 proposed coal mines in Hasdeo Aranya, whose pristine forests—popularly known as the lungs of Chhattisgarh, are one of the largest intact forest areas in India.

Who is Chhattisgarh activist Alok Shukla

Alok Shukla is a prominent environmental activist from Chhattisgarh, India, known for his significant contributions to the conservation of forests and wildlife in the region. He has been a leading figure in the movement to protect the Hasdeo Arand, one of the largest contiguous stretches of very dense forest in central India.

The Goldman Environmental Prize announced that Alok Shukla, the convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan (CBA), will be awarded for leading a successful community campaign that saved 445,000 acres of biodiversity-rich forests from 21 planned coal mines in Chhattisgarh, India.

The forests, known as Hasdeo Aranya, are considered the lungs of Chhattisgarh and are one of the largest intact forest areas in the country. The government's decision to cancel the proposed coal mines in July 2022 was a significant victory for Shukla and the local communities he worked with.

Spread across 657 square miles, Hasdeo Aranya forests are home to a diverse range of wildlife, including endangered species like tigers, Asian elephants, leopards, and sloth bears. They also serve as a vital habitat for numerous bird species and rare medicinal plants, said a statement from the Goldman Environmental Prize on Monday.

Additionally, the forests play a crucial role in providing water to the Hasdeo River, which feeds into the Mahanadi River and supports agriculture in the region. Despite being recognized as a "no-go" zone for mining by India's environment ministry in 2010, successive governments attempted to open up the area for coal mining, posing a significant threat to the forest ecosystem and the livelihoods of local Indigenous communities, said a statement from the Goldman Environmental Prize.

Alok Shukla, 43, has been a vocal advocate for environmental conservation and Indigenous rights in Chhattisgarh. As a convenor of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan and a founding member of the Save Hasdeo Aranya Resistance Committee, he has mobilized local communities to oppose destructive mining projects and protect their ancestral lands. 

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