What is Hinduism's policy on deforestation?

Question

Please! I can't find any information on this issue, and I need some info for a school thing.

Answer 1

I guess the Q was specifically about deforestation and the Hindu views about it.so ill try to limit myself to that area in this answer

Hinduism is a religion that believes that All forms of life, weather human, animal, or plant, are sacred. It does not believe that humans are on this earth as rulers, and that all the resources are his to exploit.

In fact Hinduism is a firm proponent of Vegetariabism, because it respects animals as having the same lifeforce as humans.

trees are revered in Hinduism. the term "tree hugger" actually
originated in India when villagers hugged their trees to prevent them from being cut down for wood by commercial interests.This shows how much Hindus respect trees and how much they are against the idea.
http://www.gurl.com/findout/label/pages/0,,670604,00.html

If a tree was to be cut, then other trees are supposed to be planted on tis place before it can be cut. A very good example of this is is the "jaggannath"(from which the English word "juggernaut" derives from) festival in Puri, India.

the festival requires a tree be cut, to make a wooden image of vishnu(a hindu god-aspect of the universal force). Before cutting a tree the area around the tree is germinated. and watered. the woodcutters+hindu priests come to that place a week from that day and see if any of the tree-seeds they had sown have put forth shoots(are growing). Only and Only then are they able to cut the main tree. after saying many a prayers and symbolically asking the tree spirit, and the other animals/birds/insects that might live in that tree to forgive them and move to another tree.

http://www.sjsu.edu/upload/course/course_2594/Caste_Hierarchies_and_Brahmins.pdf

When Indian medicinal plants are collected for herbal medicine, or when flowers are collected for the prayers; those who do those things do that while saying certain prayers, apologizing for their actions and asking for understanding.


so i would say that Hinduism is Very much against deforestation.after all, its the hindus who coined the word "tree huggers"!

Answer 2

As hinduism is a religion I doubt very much whether their "priests" have a collective policy for every eventuality.

This is more a political issue so the two sides do not always sit happily together and as we know politics and religion have nothing in common. Yeah right.......

Answer 3

a school thing riiiiiiight I believe that

Answer 4

this link may help

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/