Sunderlal Bahuguna (born 9 January 1927) is a noted Garhwali environmentalist, Chipko movement leader and

a follower of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of Non-violence and Satyagraha. The idea of chipko movement
was of his wife and the action was taken by him. For years he has been fighting for the preservation of forests
in the Himalayas, first as a member of the Chipko movement in the 1970s, and later spearheaded the Anti-Tehri
Dam movement starting 1980s, to early 2004. He was one of the early environmentalists of India,and later he
and people associated with the Chipko movement later started taking up environmental issues, like against large
dams.

1981: Padma Shri Award by government of India, but he refused it.1987: Right Livelihood Award (Chipko
Movement)1986: Jamnalal Bajaj Award for constructive work.1989: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Social
Sciences was conferred by IIT Roorkee2009: Padma Vibhushan Award by government of India for
environment conservation

Bahuguna has contributed globally through awareness raising measures concerning deforestation, the negative
effects of liquor on mountain life, and the health of the Ganges River. Through his work, Sunderlal has become
synonymous with the Chipko movement. He was one of the first people to point out the fallacies of judgment
when creating the Tehri Dam. Sunderlal’s outspoken views have ignited the young people of India into action
to perpetuate the protest against the ecological ruin imposed on India. He will be most remembered in history
for igniting a grassroots movement for protecting the environment.