WOMEN AND ENVIORNMENTAL PROTECTION IN KARNATAKA WITH SPECIAL REFRENCE TO SALUMARADA THIMMAKKA Environmental issues such as climate change,

clean water, air pollution and preserving natural resources are important to women and their families, and women have the opportunity to inspire and lead others to act consciously about how their actions can help or harm the earth. Women make up the majority of the earths population and are vulnerable to detrimental changes to the planet therefore we have a vested interest in taking care of it. The women play a significant role in preserving our earth as mothers. Especially in third world countries, millions of women are struggling with environmental risk factors that can harm them. These include issues such as air pollution, contaminated water, lack of adequate sanitation, disease vectors and degraded ecosystems. Women depend on natural resources for their economic and physical health, and providing for their families. Nearly all of the United Nations millennium development goals have implications for women and the environment. Since 2005, the U.N.O has supported womens roles in protecting biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and overseeing environmental resources. Women should be empowered so that their actions lead to a healthier, more peaceful planet. Because women have a special vulnerability when it comes to the earths sustainability, their involvement with environmental efforts is crucial

Fuel, fodder and water collections are the accepted responsibilities of women. As the environment degrades, these basic necessities become difficult to collect. The time a woman spends on gathering fuel, fodder and water, as well as attending to household work, agricultural work and animal care, reduces her efficiency and inputs. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, former member of the planning Commission stated, if men had to fetch drinking water the 230,000 villages would not have remained without provision of drinking water after several years of planned development.
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Traditionally, women have dealt with non-monetised biomass based subsistence economy of the household i.e. firewood, cow-dung, crop wastes, organic manure, etc. In comparison. men tend to destroy nature to earn MONEY even if it means creating hardship in their own families for their womenfolk to collect fuel and fodder e.g. sale of herbs and wood. The upshot is that women work as unpaid labourers on family farms with a greater role than men in operational decision making. In effect this means that women's responsibilities extend from the household duties to working in the fields as well. As the time required for fuel and fodder collection grows and firewood becomes scarce, cow-dung previously spread on the fields, is used in the kitchen, thereby depleting soil resources and causing a negative effect on the livelihood of local people and environment.The Women are active workers in a forestation principally because they are the primary victims of deforestation, especially when deforestation for resettlement purposes has taken place. They are involved in mobilising and making selective use of forests and other necessary natural resources e.g. They apply manure to the soil and help regeneration of the forest by regulating its use. They are aware of the forest land,
livestock and human resource chain essential for sustainable development, e.g. the Kerehosahalll village of Uttar Kanara district In Karnataka where the Appiko movement Is effective.

Women mobilise conserve and preserve resources in their roles as housewives, mothers, wives, daughters and farmers. Sometimes development projects contribute to the damage of our natural and cultural environment whereby women are the primary victims for e.g. dam constructions, quarrying.

Project Partner: Vivekananda Girijana Kalyan Kendra, Karnataka. -Aim of the Project: Conservation and propagation of medicinal plants especially those threatened due to destruction of forests and other development activities through eco-development activities among soliga tribals. This project helped generate employment and enhanced the family income of the Soligas. .