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The Appiko Movement was an important environmental conservation movement launched against Commercial Deforestation in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka. It began on 8 September 1983 near Salkani village in Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. In Kannada, the word 'Appiko' means 'To Hug'. During this movement, villagers attempted to prevent the felling of trees by embracing them. Environmental activist Pandurang Hegde played an important role in organizing the movement and mobilizing widespread public support.

The Appiko Movement was inspired by the Chipko Movement of Uttarakhand, although the two movements originated in different geographical regions. The Chipko Movement began in 1973 in the Garhwal Himalayan region of the then Uttar Pradesh, now Uttarakhand. Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Sunderlal Bahuguna, and Gaura Devi were among its prominent figures. In contrast, the Appiko Movement developed in Karnataka, southern India, in 1983. Both movements employed Non-Violent Resistance, Community Participation, and the practice of embracing trees to prevent deforestation.

Local communities played a significant role in the initial success of the Appiko Movement. On 8 September 1983, approximately 160 men, women, and children protested against tree felling by embracing trees in the Kalase Forest near Salkani. The villagers maintained a vigil over the forest for approximately six weeks and ended their protest after forest officials assured them that felling would follow the prescribed Scientific Forest Management Plan. Approximately 12,000 trees were saved from being felled through this campaign. The movement subsequently spread to other parts of Karnataka.

The three major objectives of the Appiko Movement were Forest Preservation, Forest Restoration in degraded areas, and Rational Utilization of Forest Resources. These objectives were expressed in Kannada as 'Ulisu' (Save), 'Belesu' (Grow), and 'Balasu' (Use Rationally). The movement drew attention to commercial logging, Soil Erosion, degradation of water sources, and threats to forest-dependent livelihoods. In contrast, Kerala's prominent forest conservation movement was the Silent Valley Movement, which sought to protect tropical evergreen forests from a proposed hydroelectric project.