The concept and beliefs of sacred trees and groves of forests are one of the best practices to conserve the natural resources. Sacred groves are tracts of virgin forests that have cultural or spiritual significance for the people who live around them. In the Western Ghats (mountains) of India, sacred groves are the only remaining patches of … An all-India project on an assessment of the ecosystem service that sacred groves provide has been initiated by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). been made to visit some selected sacred groves (Plate A- 1, 2) of the state and enumerate the common and endemic biowealth belonging to those groves. Sacred groves are patches of natural vegetation. The project aims to study endemic biodiversity in the sacred groves of Uttara Kannada region of the Central Western Ghats in context to their current distribution and threat status. Sacred groves are regarded by some adjacent forest communities as the first temples of God; they are seen as manifestations of spiritual powers of deities and areas through which the people can communicate to their gods and departed ancestors. Sign up and become a Guardian today! In ancient India, people’s strong religious acuity gave a believed-shadow, Since times immemorial, ‘Devrais’ or ‘sacred groves’ in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats have been nurtured by local communities residing there, who draw upon traditional knowledge to conserve these patches of forestland. Further, For hundreds of years, Kovil Kaadugal or sacred groves had been taken care of and maintained by the native communities residing there, who made use of the age-old traditions and information to preserve them. Salt of the Earth. Patches of vegetation protected on the basis of religious faith are called sacred groves. Share. Sacred groves are institutions that have evolved over the years through employment of sanctions in Since times immemorial, ‘Devrais’ or ‘sacred groves’ in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats have been nurtured by local communities residing there, who draw upon traditional knowledge to conserve these patches of forestland. Sacred groves were looked after and maintained by the local communities residing there, who made use of the age-old traditions and knowledge to conserve them. In ancient Manipuri culture, people worshippedthe natural phenomena like the sun, the moon, the sky, the water and the fire.… Sacred groves of north Kerala: The last refuge for biodiversity amongst urbanisation. Thus they help to conserve rare and threatened species of plants and animals. particularly where the indigenous communities live. And people protect it for religious or spiritual reasons. Examples of reasons why these groves have been removed are encroachment, road construction, grazing, the building of dams and canals and urbanization. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the selected villages of the PBR along with the survey of sacred groves. Resource A rainwater harvesting structure in the forest patch. “respect” for Sacred Groves. 2012). The erosion of traditional values and deterioration of sacred groves in recent times is, however, as a matter for concern. ancestral spirits. Like. Our journey recounts certain unique experiences of how the eco-friendly environment impacts our lifestyles and actions to protect our natural legacy. On a mission to conserve sacred groves T. Nandakumar Thiruvananthapuram:, April 18, 2016 00:00 IST Updated: April 18, 2016 05:49 IST T. Nandakumar 'Sacred groves of Kerala: Down from 10,000 to 1,200', the headline of an article snapped my mind to attention. Sacred groves (SGs) are small forest areas that are left untouched by the local inhabitants to be conserved by the local village folk deities and are of special spiritual significance to them (Figure 1 ). Depending on the temperaments and needs of the local communities, one may be more suitable than the other in any given area. Sacred Grove is an age-old culture of our society which conserves the sacred trees on the basis of people’s religious believes in relation to nature. Sacred groves occur in many parts of India viz., Western Ghats, Central India, northeast India, etc. These strategies were harmonious to the way of life of those communities. Odisha to conserve 500 groves. The most famous sacred groves in mainland Greece was the oak grove at Dodona.Outside the walls of Athens, the site of the Platonic Academy was a sacred grove of olive trees, still recalled in the phrase "the groves of Academe".. Sacred groves or the Devarakadus which are found in different parts of … New species of flora and fauna are constantly being discovered by scientists in these groves. There are an estimated 2,000-3,200 sacred groves in Ghana, approximately 80 percent of which are located in the southern half of the country (Nganso et al. Sacred groves, some as old as several centuries, may have contributed to the preservation of some plant species in Tanzania. The old groves, some of which have been destroyed are dotted around Kpeve, Woadze, Agate, and Have. In spite of urbanisation and development pressures, the northern districts of Kerala have managed to conserve many sacred groves. In Meghalaya, the sacred groves are the last refuges for a large number of rare and threatened plants. Ex situ Conservation Sacred natural sites such as forest groves, mountains and rivers, are often visible in the landscape as vegetation-rich ecosystems, contrasting dramatically from adjoining, non-sacred, degraded environments. (a) Biodiversity conservation is necessary because of the following reasons:i. The sacred groves in the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (PBR) of India were studied to understand the concept of traditional ecological and biodiversity conservation systems. Sacred groves are the areas of Aravalli Hills where forest patches around places of worship are held in high esteem by tribals. Join us in our journey to inspire you to make a meaningful difference to preserve our natural habitats. In central Italy, the town of Nemi recalls the Latin nemus Aricinum, or "grove of Ariccia", a small town a quarter of the way around the lake. Benin is a country located in Western Africa with an area of 122 600 km 2.Considered as the “birthplace of voodoo” (or Vodoun, as spelled in the local language meaning “god”), the county contains approximately 2940 sacred forests according to an inventory undertaken by researchers (Sokpon and Agbo, 1999). People do not harm sacred groves mainly because of socio-religious traditions and fear of the deity, believing that who harm sacred grove may be harmed by the presiding deity. The groves have been and continue to be maintained by the local indigenous peoples who vigilantly protect and monitor the groves through complex traditional instit… and ethnic heritage exists in sacred groves. Is biodiversity conservation gains of sacred groves connected with the fear of the gods? Plate A Sacred groves of Odisha, 1) Sacred groves in Kapilash, 2) Sacred groves in Khurda. Such sacred groves are found in Khasi and Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan, Western Ghat regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra and the Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya Pradesh. Odisha to conserve 700 sacred groves to protect tribal culture . A sacred … Chennamma, an Indigenous potter. Role in conservation. Sacred groves are forest fragments of varying sizes, which are communally protected, and which usually have a ... heritage, which conserves the population of varied species in their natural habitat, which can be considered as a „working model‟ of conservation. Sacred groves (SGs) are small forest areas that are left untouched by the local inhabitants to be conserved by the local village folk deities and are of special spiritual significance to them (Figure 1 ). Contributed to the way of life of those communities the areas of Aravalli where. The communities ’ faith in traditional rituals and local deities are important as these the! 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