Religious and traditional beliefs, cultural mores, and practices play a crucial role in the conservation of environment and biodiversity. The present paper presents an analysis of information collected from knowledgeable. Sacred groves are patches of forests preserved for their spiritual and religious significance. Many sacred natural sites contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. Sacred groves, in general, are a valuable tool of biodiversity conservation. Pdf on jan 1, 2003, highland kayang and others published biodiversity conservation through sacred groves find, read and cite all the. Pdf biodiversity conservation through sacred groves. The practice gained relevance with the spread of agriculture that caused largescale deforestation affecting biodiversity and watersheds. Significance of sacred groves in conservation of biodiversity.
Biodiversity conservation of groves is thus a byproduct of a traditional belief of locals in the supernatural power of the forest deity. Sacred groves are considered as repository of local biodiversity. Potential for biodiversity management article pdf available in frontiers in ecology and the environment 410. Pdf the sacred groves and their significance in conserving. Though sacred groves were established for spiritual purposes, they are contributing to insitu biodiversity conservation. Myths, beliefs, and biodiversity conservationa case study from western himalaya, india sushmasingh,1 mudasiryoussouf,2 zubaira. Biodiversity conservation hotspots a policy brief paul ongugo, jephine mogoi, emily obonyo, tom omenda and gordon sigu introduction sacred groves are regarded by some adjacent forest communities as the first temples of god.
Vartak 2002, 1 sacred groves are tracts of the most valuable of legacies from the primitive practices of nature conservation. The pressures of poverty, cultural change, and migration are causing inhabitants to harvest resources from the groves at an unsustainable rate. Pdf ecological and sociocultural aspects of biodiversity. Taken alone, the significance of smaller sites may be quite limited for biodiversity conservation, but taken together they can represent sizeable protected areas. These forest areas have been protected since ages by traditional societies and indigenous communities with their sociocultural and religious. A good number of studies have conducted throughout india and the volume of literature provides ample evidence for this statement 1214. Although sacred groves are important for conservation in india, the landscape that surrounds them has a vital influence on biodiversity within them.
These sacred groves of manipur have helped the conservation of biodiversity through the ages and some of them remain unaffected till date. Sacred groves are technically defined with following definitions. The restriction in resource usage, undisturbed condition and suitable microclimate are the primary factors for. Aug 01, 2010 cultural diversity in remote mountain regions is closely linked to biodiversity, as there is a symbiotic relationship between habitats and cultures, and between ecosystems and cultural identity. In order to promote them for communitybased conservation of biodiversity the government should declare sacred groves as preservation sites, and incorporate them into modern conservation systems. To find out the status of sacred groves in himachal pradesh. Traditional ecological knowledge, sacred groves and.
Identification and creating an inventory of key biological resources biodiversity of the sacred groves. Sacred groves are patches of primary and natural forests, protected through sociocultural laws by the local communities near their villages and are always dedicated to certain deities. Hence, all the landscaping area of manipur has the sacred groves deities, which conserve many rare and endemic species of flora and fauna of the state. Assistant professor forestry, department of forest products and utilization, forest college and research institute, mettupalayam 641 301. Pdf sacred groves are tracts of virgin forest with rich diversity, which have been protected. Iucnprotecting sacred natural sites of indigenous and tra. Traditional representations of the natural environment and biodiversity conservation. Sacred groves and biodiversity conservation there has been a close linkage between human beings and nature conservation since the beginning of hunting and gathering societies. Today, the sacred groves face many threats such as change in religious beliefs, forest. A landscape approach to biodiversity conservation of sacred. The sacred groves and their significance in conserving. Pdf traditional knowledge and biodiversity conservation. An inventory of all existing sacred groves could provide important information on their role in in situ conservation. Policy and law sacred groves in greece, as in many other countries of the world form a largely unrecognized shadow conservation network.
Nearly 45,000 species of plants and twice as many of animals have been recorded from india. Protected areas, biodiversity and conservation 9 peter murrell conservation area, tasmania, australia even small parks can have important conservation roles. Jun 20, 2014 traditional and indigenous communities in india are of the religious belief that medicinal groves and plants are sacred in nature. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world.
In india, sacred groves are recorded from northeast himalayan region. Sacred groves occur in a variety of places from scrub forests in the thar desert of rajasthan maintained by the bishnois, to rain forests in the kerala western ghats. Pdf sacred groves are small patches or islands of remaining original habitat or forests of various dimensions partially or fully protected by local. The sacred groves and their significance in conserving biodiversity an overview m. Conservation and management of sacred groves mafiadoc. Sacred groves may lose their prominence nowadays, but are still relevant in indian rural landscapes inhabited by traditional communities. To document the sacred and protected groves and their biodiversity to understand the underlying principle behind the age old traditions of the sacred groves. In this article, we discuss current threats to sacred groves that need to be addressed through management approaches. A preliminary survey was conducted in these sgs to study their role in biodiversity. Biodiversity and ecological assessments of indian sacred groves.
A religious platform for biodiversity conservation by. All communities come together, offer their prayers and participate in the annual activities. Conserving biodiversity through traditional beliefs in sacred. Biodiversity conservation in sacred groves complete detail. Hema somanathan india video ecologist hema somanathan talks about the cultural and ecological thinking behind the traditional sacred groves.
It has been observed that several medicinal plants that are not to be found in the forest are abundant in the sacred groves. Role of sacred groves in biodiversity conservation. Sacred groves, patches of natural forests, a manifestation of nature worship offer ecological, environmental and sociocultural functions to the local communities. Sacred groves act as an ideal centre for biodiversity conservation.
The present study indicates the role of sacred groves in biodiversity conservation through faith, belief. Tripathi3 1 department of forestry, north eastern regional institute of science and technology, nirjuli 791109 itanagar, arunachal pradesh, india email. Although sacred groves are important for conservation in india, the landscape that surrounds them has a vital influence on biodiversity. Community linked biodiversity conservation tradition in the world kushallappa and bhagwat, 2001. The present paper describes a case study of two sacred groves in western himalaya.
Sacred groves sgs are patches of land that are communally protected with religious zeal. Traditional knowledge based sacred groves conservation has a significant contribution in the process of biodiversity conservation and also most of the plants or trees are of medicinal importance and hence the maintenance of the sanctity of that area reflects in the rectification of human ailments. This article deals with listing of groves, documentation of traditional beliefs and cultural practices of different indigenous communities associated with sacred groves, their roles in social life status and management of sacred groves their importance in biodiversity conservation and forces threatening existence and suggestions and strategies. Sacred groves are scattered all over the country, and are referred to by different names in different parts of india. Sacred groves sgs are relic forest patches preserved in the name of religion or culture. Pbr is equally known for its cultural diversity, as it is inhabited by number of tribal and nontribal communities. Research has focused on tree diversity inside these forest patches. Sacred forest groves dot the otherwise increasingly degraded landscape of ghana, in west africa, providing oases of biodiversity and tradition. Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2. But peoples changing attitudes, erosion of traditional beliefs, and human impact have caused degradation of sacred. This practice of conserving such groves is linked to the society. Yet, when viewed collectively, the benefits for the preservation of biodiversity in the region are immense.
Potential role of sacred groves in biodiversity conservation. The role of groves in biodiversity conservation in southwestern nigeria was investigated in osunosogbo and igboolodumare sacred groves and compared with degraded and primary forests. This community participation symbolizes unity and harmony. This small conservation area in tasmania provides habitat for the endangered fortyspotted pardalote. Conservation of biological resources the endemic and threatened plant species should be conserve.
But peoples changing attitudes, erosion of traditional beliefs, and human impact have caused degradation of sacred groves over the years. Sacred grovea natures giftas a remedy for human ailments. Most of these sacred groves are associated with local hindu gods and goddesses, whereas sacred groves of islamic and buddhist origins are also known. In india, nature worship dates back to the prevedic period 5000 b.
Religious belief and taboos are the constructive tools for conserving the sacred groves. Nov 14, 2017 sacred groves can help us expand how we think about conservation because there is no definitive system of natureworship in india. Conservation and management of sacred groves surender k. There is no evidence to show that the groves were intended primarily for biodiversity conservation or as a science based natural resource management strategy. Role of sacred groves sacred groves in biodiversity conservation current status and conservation options. Yadav department of botany, maharashi dayanand university, rohtak, haryana, india. The relationship between humankind and earth is based on a belief that the planets biospheric life support system is sacred cairns, 2002. Sgs are full with rich biodiversity and harbor many rare species of plants and animals. Pdf role of sacred groves sacred groves in biodiversity. For example, it is estimated that there are between 100,000 and 150,000 sacred groves throughout india.
More research on the ecology and underlying socioeconomic mechanisms of natural sacred sites is required to fully reveal their potential for biodiversity conservation. Sacred groves sgs are patches of trees on forest land that are protected communally with religious zeal and connotations. Mar 12, 2020 biodiversity conservation in sacred groves complete detail. The forest plots and the groves shared a species similarity index of 45%, suggesting that the sacred groves contributed to in situ conservation of the miombo woodland biodiversity. Some of the woody species were absent in the forest plots, also suggesting that groves served as a refuge for some species. Traditional ecological knowledge, sacred groves and conservation of biodiversity in the pachmarhi 969 biosphere reserve of india including tiger, leopard, wild boar, barking deer, guars, cheetal, and rhesus macaque. Lessons from the sacred groves of india biodiversity and. Several plants and animals that are threatened in the forest are still well conserved in some of the sacred groves. Their conservation would not be possible without the active participation of the local people. Myths, beliefs, and biodiversity conservation a case study from western himalaya, india sushmasingh, 1 mudasiryoussouf, 2 zubaira. These approaches are currently extended through the sage program, for example the survey of the biodiversity of the sns, focusing on specific taxonomic groups flora, birds, bats, lichens, fungi, insects. Potential role of sacred groves in biodiversity conservation in.
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