Conservation and management of sacred groves, myths and beliefs of tribal communities: a case study from north-India

Abstract

Background: Traditional and indigenous communities in India are of the religious belief that medicinal groves and plants are sacred in nature. Sacred groves (SGs) are patches of trees on forest land that are protected communally with religious zeal and connotations. These forest areas have been protected since ages by traditional societies and indigenous communities with their socio-cultural and religious practices. Sacred groves as a rule are treated piously. Sacred trees are prohibited from cutting and not axed except when wood is needed for the religious purposes like construction and repair of temple buildings or in cases like worshiping, death ceremonies and temple rituals. Thus, SGs carry direct and everlasting pious status and assist in maintaining social fabric of the society.

Rediscovering the Potential of Indigenous Storytelling for Conservation Practice

“…Yet, sacred sites are contingent upon continuous transmission of their spiritual values, a process that is being disrupted by cultural changes (Kandari et al . ). We argue that indigenous storytelling could help to revitalize spiritual values around nature.…”

Sacred Groves: Myths, Beliefs, and Biodiversity Conservation—A Case Study from Western Himalaya, India

“…There are many instances where communities control the excess use of resource by confining the approach to resources and enforcing compliance through religious belief, rituals, and social convention which at last result in biodiversity conservation in such communities. The roles of religious and cultural beliefs in protecting trees have been observed by other researchers also [1,12]. Species such as sacred fig (Ficus religiosa), mountain lion (Felis concolor), and southern pocket gopher (Thomomys umbrinus emotus) are protected by Hindus' taboo all across the Indian subcontinent [13].…”

“…Vanishing of species due to different anthropogenic disturbances like alteration of natural habitats, excessive utilization, pollution, universal climate change, and invasion of nonnative species is so fast that many precious taxa may disappear even before they are documented and identified and their scientific value is discovered [7]. Many scholars have worked on conservation of sacred groves through sociocultural practices in different parts of India [1,12,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

“…The forefathers of these communities were fully aware of the importance and significance of natural resources and the necessity of their conservation for the sustenance of future generations. They lived in harmony with nature and thereby played an important role in conservation of biodiversity [1]. One of the important traditions of nature reverence is to conserve those patches of forest that have been dedicated to a god or goddess or ancestral spirits as "sacred groves."…”

“…Sacred groves serve as a home for birds and mammals, and hence they indirectly help in the conservation of biodiversity [3]. There are several studies carried out by various researchers on this subject, highlighting significant role and potential of the SGs [1,5,6]. The present paper presents a case study of two SGs of Western (Garhwal) Himalaya and the aim of the study was to document (i) the floral and faunal diversity of these SGs and (ii) the myths, beliefs, and taboos related to biodiversity conservation in these SGs.…”