Environmentalist Tulsi Gowda, revered as 'tree goddess', dies at 86 + SSC_CGL?.ToString()?? SSC_CGL?.ToString()+" Current Affairs";

Padma Shri awardee Tulsi Gowda, an environmentalist from Karnataka who is revered as the “tree goddess” by the Halakki tribal community, died from age-related ailments at her residence in Honnali village of Ankola taluk in Uttara Kannada district Monday evening. She was 86.
About Tulsi Gowda:
Known as the ‘encyclopedia of forest’, Gowda was born in Honnali village in Ankola taluk in Uttara Kannada district in 1944. But tragedy struck early. Gowda was only two years old when she lost her father. Raised in penury, she began working as a day labourer alongside her mother at a local forest nursery, forgoing any opportunity for formal education.
At the nursery, Gowda was entrusted with caring for seeds meant for the Agasur seedbed, a project of the Karnataka Forest Department. Overcoming the hurdle of lacking any formal education, Gowda became an autodidact, demonstrating extraordinary knowledge of forests, and particularly her ability to identify mother trees.
For 35 years, she worked as a daily wage worker at the nursery until her dedication and knowledge earned her a permanent position at the forest department, where for the next 15 years, she directly supported afforestation efforts, preventing poaching, and mitigating forest fires that threatened local wildlife.
Gowda has been credited with planting and nurturing over 1 lakh trees across Karnataka. Her contributions have strengthened one community reserve, five tiger reserves, 15 conservation reserves, and 30 wildlife sanctuaries, ensuring the preservation of diverse ecosystems.
In 2021, she was conferred the Padma Shri for her exceptional contributions to environmental conservation.