Editing Conservation movement (section)

===Early history===
[[File:Sylva paper 1662.jpg|right|thumb| ''Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesty's Dominions,'' title page of the first edition (1664)]]
The conservation movement can be traced back to [[John Evelyn]]'s work ''[[Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber|Sylva]]'', which was presented as a paper to the [[Royal Society]] in 1662. Published as a book two years later, it was one of the most highly influential texts on [[forestry]] ever published.<ref>[[John Evelyn]], ''Sylva, Or A Discourse of Forest Trees ... with an Essay on the Life and Works of the Author by John Nisbet'', Fourth Edition (1706), reprinted London: Doubleday & Co., 1908, V1, p. lxv; online edn, March 2007 [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20778/20778-h/20778-h.htm], accessed 29 Dec 2012. This source (John Nisbet) states: "There can be no doubt that John Evelyn, both during his own lifetime and throughout the two centuries which have elapsed since his death in 1706, has exerted more individual influence, through his charming ''Sylva'', ... than can be ascribed to any other individual." Nisbet adds that "Evelyn was by no means the first [author] who wrote on [forestry]. That honour belongs to Master [[Anthony Fitzherbert|Fitzherbert]], whose ''Boke of Husbandrie'' was published in 1534" (V1, p. lxvi).</ref> Timber resources in England were becoming dangerously depleted at the time, and Evelyn advocated the importance of conserving the forests by managing the rate of depletion and ensuring that the cut down trees get replenished.

[[Khejarli]] massacre:

The [[Bishnoi]] narrate the story of [[Amrita Devi]], a member of the sect who inspired as many as 363 other Bishnois to go to their deaths in protest of the cutting down of [[Khejri]] trees on 12 September 1730. The Maharaja of [[Jodhpur]], [[Abhai Singh of Marwar|Abhay Singh]], requiring wood for the construction of a new palace, sent soldiers to cut trees in the village of Khejarli, which was called Jehnad at that time. Noticing their actions, Amrita Devi hugged a tree in an attempt to stop them. Her family then adopted the same strategy, as did other local people when the news spread. She told the soldiers that she considered their actions to be an insult to her faith and that she was prepared to die to save the trees. The soldiers did indeed kill her and others until Abhay Singh was informed of what was going on and intervened to stop the massacre.
Some of the 363 Bishnois who were killed protecting the trees were buried in Khejarli, where a simple grave with four pillars was erected. Every year, in September, i.e., Shukla Dashmi of Bhadrapad (Hindi month) the Bishnois assemble there to commemorate the sacrifice made by their people to preserve the trees.

The field developed during the 18th century, especially in [[Prussia]] and France where scientific forestry methods were developed. These methods were first applied rigorously in [[British India]] from the early 19th century. The government was interested in the use of [[forest produce]] and began managing the forests with measures to reduce the risk of wildfire in order to protect the "household" of nature, as it was then termed. This early ecological idea was in order to preserve the growth of delicate [[teak]] trees, which was an important resource for the [[Royal Navy]].

Concerns over teak depletion were raised as early as 1799 and 1805 when the Navy was undergoing a massive expansion during the [[Napoleonic War]]s; this pressure led to the first formal conservation Act, which prohibited the felling of small teak trees. The first forestry officer was appointed in 1806 to regulate and preserve the trees necessary for shipbuilding.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/forestry/history.htm|title=History of forests in India|access-date=2013-10-13|archive-date=2018-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904091500/http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/forestry/history.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

This promising start received a setback in the 1820s and 30s, when [[laissez-faire]] economics and complaints from private landowners brought these early conservation attempts to an end.

In 1837, American poet [[George Pope Morris]] published "Woodman, Spare that Tree!", a [[Romantic poetry|Romantic]] poem urging a lumberjack to avoid an [[Oak|oak tree]] that has sentimental value. The poem was set to music later that year by [[Henry Russell (musician)|Henry Russell]]. Lines from the song have been quoted by environmentalists.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/26401592|title=Best remembered poems|date=1992|publisher=Dover Publications|others=Martin Gardner|isbn=0-486-27165-X|location=New York|pages=118|language=English|oclc=26401592}}</ref>