‘Save tigers, only 1411 left’. While we are all familiar with this campaign, have you ever stopped to think what is causing the numbers of this feline species to dwindle at an alarming rate? And it isn’t just the tigers; our list of endangered species houses a wide range of animals from Asiatic Lions to the Kashmir stag. In fact, a recent study listed as many as 53 species as threatened. Shame, really. Our nation, once known for its rich flora and fauna, is now reduced to sorting them out between threatened, endangered and vulnerable.

And the reason behind this rampant forest and wildlife destruction is the free hand given to the coal mining industry. It comes as a shock to know that more than 26,000 hectares of India have been diverted for coal mining. And the cherry on the cake is that the coal ministry is now demanding a whopping 15 lakh acres of forest land in Central India. Shocking, right?

All these years, while we failed to do more than raise our eyebrows in disbelief, Greenpeace, a global campaigning organisation that works on environmental issues, came up with an initiative called The Republic of Junglistan. As an attempt to save forests from unrestricted and destructive coal mining, they have declared all forest land as the Independent Republic of Junglistan and are recruiting humans as citizens to help them protect it.

Due to the shortage of forests, animals have started wandering into human territory which sometimes proves fatal for them. Sheroo and Bhaloo, two such displaced animals, pose as its mascots and work towards minimising this animal-human conflict.  After making diplomatic visits to cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi, Pratibha Patil was enrolled as the first citizen of Junglistan, followed by Sheila Dixit, the Delhi Chief Minister. They had even created a blockade at the gate of the Union Coal Minister. Armed with petitions of over one lakh citizens, the activists protested against new coal mining in the Central Indian forests. After an hour of dallying, Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal met the activists and discussed the threat coal mining posed to animal habitats and corridors. 

You can also join in the movement by signing up as an online activist which entails signing petitions and organising local events. Enough of watching mutely, it is now time to join in the action on ground!