Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Journal of Anthropology
Volume 2014, Article ID 595314, 8 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/595314

Research Article
Sacred Groves: The Consequence of Traditional Management

Arpita Vipat and Erach Bharucha

Institute of Environment Education and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune 411030, India

Correspondence should be addressed to Erach Bharucha; arpita [email protected]

Received 4 September 2014; Accepted 21 October 2014; Published 10 November 2014

Academic Editor: Kaushik Bose

Copyright © 2014 A. Vipat and E. Bharucha. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.

The Western Ghats are one of the globally recognized “hot spots” of biodiversity in India. In Maharashtra small patches of forest in
the Ghats are protected by local people as “sacred groves.” They are called “Devrai” which have been managed by local people and are
dedicated to the deity in the grove. These groves act as benchmarks of less disturbed vegetation. The study has been conducted on
fifteen groves through detailed expert and semistructured interviews of their priests and locals have been conducted to appreciate
their traditional management systems. There is no evidence to show that the groves were intended primarily for biodiversity
conservation or as a science based natural resource management strategy. Biodiversity conservation of groves is thus a by-product of
a traditional belief of locals in the supernatural power of the forest deity. The concept of ICCAs (Indigenous Community Conserved
Areas) and making registries of local knowledge of biodiversity as a tool for developing future conservation initiatives can act as a
useful strategy to preserve the groves in the face of regional development pressures and gain government recognition for protecting
the groves in the long term.

1. Introduction The Devrai word came from two local words; that is, Dev
means God and rai means forest. So it means god’s forest is
Traditional knowledge has been used for centuries by indige- Devrai. Such forest patches are considered a sacred forest by
nous local communities to manage natural resources under locals so they are called sacred groves. The groves thus act as
local laws, customs, and traditions [1]. Many traditional key benchmarks of less disturbed vegetation in a mosaic of
societies all over the world revere and worship nature and other traditional and modern forms of land use. The groves
consider certain plants and animals sacred. The sacred groves play a role in maintenance of the local ecological balance,
in the Western Ghats are small patches of ancient forest conservation of watersheds, and preservation of bioresources.
dedicated to local animistic deities [2, 3]. These groves are Sustainable use of resources and use of management princi-
a rich source of fruit bearing trees and small water bodies ples for different landscape elements are frequently linked to
and act as habitat for several birds and reptiles. Resource culturally distinct sentiments.
extraction in the groves is limited by a variety of rules to In the villages in which groves are protected, regionally
placate the deity. This has resulted in the development of relict relevant folk knowledge supports traditional conservation
patches of climax forest [4]. Cultural and biological diversity practices. Local people have evolved their own traditional
is even today relevant as a tool for nature conservation [5] that rules and management based on ancient practices which led
is foremost for sacred grove conservation in Maharashtra. to conservation and maintenance of the groves as relatively
The Western Ghats of India are one of the 34 globally intact patches of forests as a by-product of their religious
important biodiversity hot spots [6, 7]. In 2006 the Western sentiments [8]. During the last two decades farmers have sold
Ghats were proposed as a protected “World Heritage Site” large pieces of land to speculators for urbanization. This is
and this has now been accepted by UNESCO. Mulshi District due to the enormous rise in the price of land. This change has
nested in the Ghats is a key site for conservation action. triggered several socioeconomic and cultural aspects in the
In Maharashtra the “sacred groves” in the Ghats which are region with a consequent loss of protective sentiments for the
locally called “Devrai” are key hot spots of biological diversity. sacred groves.
2 Journal of Anthropology

Table 1: Location of fifteen sacred groves in Mulshi.

Sr. number Name of the grove Name of the deity Village Location Present status

1 Dhigiaairai Dhigiaai devi Bhiravwadi 18∘ 32󸀠 22.33󸀠󸀠 N, P

73∘ 30󸀠 58.66󸀠󸀠 E
2 Waghjai Waghjai devi Sonarwadi 18∘ 32󸀠 26.50󸀠󸀠 N, P
73∘ 30󸀠 59.68󸀠󸀠 E
3 Rai Waghjai devi Wadwathar 18∘ 33󸀠 0.47󸀠󸀠 N, Th
73∘ 29󸀠 29.26󸀠󸀠 E
4 Waghjairai Waghjai devi Chandiwali 18∘ 35󸀠 9.53󸀠󸀠 N, Th
73∘ 28󸀠 4.47󸀠󸀠 E
5 Firnangairai Firnangai devi Sarole 18∘ 25󸀠 41.18󸀠󸀠 N, P
73∘ 23󸀠 24.72󸀠󸀠 E
6 Firnangairai Khagjai devi Sarole 18∘ 25󸀠 41.18󸀠󸀠 N, P
73∘ 23󸀠 24.72󸀠󸀠 E
7 Kalkairai Kalkai devi Kondether 18∘ 23󸀠 52.36󸀠󸀠 N, Th
73∘ 23󸀠 56.18󸀠󸀠 E
8 Vinjai rai Vinjai devi Tamini 18∘ 26󸀠 25.72󸀠󸀠 N, P
73∘ 25󸀠 39.17󸀠󸀠 E
9 Kalubai chi rai Kalubai Lavarde 18∘ 23󸀠 6.89󸀠󸀠 N, D
73∘ 29󸀠 15.17󸀠󸀠 E
10 Bhiruoba cha ran Bhiruoba Lavarde 18∘ 21󸀠 32.78󸀠󸀠 N, Th
73∘ 30󸀠 0.09󸀠󸀠 E
11 Kanguram Kangur maharaj Kanguram 18∘ 24󸀠 25.22󸀠󸀠 N, Th
73∘ 30󸀠 57.28󸀠󸀠 E
12 Kanguram Waghjai Kanguram 18∘ 24󸀠 23.46󸀠󸀠 N, P
73∘ 30󸀠 53.36󸀠󸀠 E
13 Kolavade rai Bhiravnath Kolavade 18∘ 27󸀠 18.66󸀠󸀠 N, Th
73∘ 33󸀠 30.93󸀠󸀠 E
14 Kharavade rai Mhasoba Kharavade 18∘ 27󸀠 15.33󸀠󸀠 N, D
73∘ 35󸀠 26.80󸀠󸀠 E
15 Vandev rai Vanoba Temghar 18∘ 23󸀠 29.86󸀠󸀠 N, D
73∘ 30󸀠 40.30󸀠󸀠 E
P: protected, Th: threatened, and D: destructed.

2. Methods groves, ten are dedicated to female deities and five to male
deities. The female deities of the groves are unshaped stones
This study has been carried out in and around the sacred painted with red color (sindhur) and the male deities are
groves of Mulshi region in Maharashtra. The research data often roughly sculpted black stone figures. The names of the
has been collected through transects walks and discussions animistic deities are frequently related to the ferocious tigers
with local people. Seven detailed expert interviews with local or tigresses that once roamed these forests which had to be
priests and ninety-three semistructured interviews were car- appeased.
ried out with elders and local village folk, to understand the Each village is located around their sacred grove. So
local relevant institutional management used for protecting that villagers can access the grove for worship and resource
their sacred groves. Semistructured interviews are the ones extraction. The tribal communities Dhangar and Mahadeo
that have a flexible and fluid structure, unlike structured Koli and the agropastoral community Maratha worship the
interviews that have a prepared sequence of questions to deities and look after the groves. They are forest dependent
be asked in the same way of all interviewees [9]. The communities and Marathas carry out agricultural practices.
semistructured interviews can modify or deflect from topic Dhangar and Mahadeo Koli survive by extracting forest
as per the requirement of study. During the interviews mostly resources and sometimes also work on agricultural field of
the locals diverted from the topic but the given information Marathas, such as on their agricultural field, and take care of
was also useful. So in such case the formal interviews sessions their cattle.
were avoided and we had supple interview session with the Transect walks were made with local stakeholders to
locals. study the utilization of resources from the groves which are
The fifteen sacred groves studied are linked to tribal commonly collected by local communities for consumptive
deities and often occur in inaccessible areas at higher ele- and productive uses from within and outside the grove. The
vations near the crest line of the Ghats at a considerable knowledge of the resources that can be collected from the
distance from the villages (Table 1). Among the fifteen sacred groves and those that are considered taboo is spread from one
Journal of Anthropology 3

person to another without any written rules. The groves vary Present status of sacred groves in Mulshi region of
from one to eight hectares in size but are occasionally much the Western Ghats
larger. The forest patches contain a rich repository of plant
species, massive old trees, covered with lianas and climbers.
They are frequently associated with an emergent stream and 20%
have better soil as compared to adjacent areas.
40%

3. Result
The groves have not been measured or demarcated by the
Forest Department, Revenue Administration, or by the local 40%
Panchayats (local government). This makes the boundary
rather flexible and denoted only by the change in vegeta-
tion. There was no evidence to show that the groves were
maintained for their biodiversity conservation potential or Protected
for protecting their natural resource for the future. The Threatened
preservation of groves is a result of strong ancient beliefs that Destructed
any damage to the grove would anger the deity who would
Figure 1: Present status of sacred groves in Mulshi region of the
take revenge on the intruder who desecrates its integrity. Western Ghats.
In Mulshi most groves cannot be entered by local women.
Incidentally women are the main resource use collectors in
this region and this norm may act as an additional protection Resource collection from sacred groves of
against overexploitation of resources within the groves. 9 Mulshi region
Levels of sustainability: the assessment of sustainability 8 8
of a grove in terms of economic, social, and environmental 6 6
(ecological) parameters is depicted in Table 2. This has been
considered in terms of the different local consumptive and 2 2
productive uses of resources and ecological services provided
0
by the grove. There has been a perceptible loss of protective
Lopped Dead Fruit Flower Toddy Grazing Medicinal No
sentiments and religious perceptions of local people towards wood wood/ collection collection collection plant resource
the preservation of these groves during the last couple of collection dry leaves collection collection
decades. New strategies for their management must thus collection

attempt to drive unsustainable practices towards sustainable Figure 2: Resource collection from the fifteen sacred groves of
levels through locale specific management by enhancing local Mulshi region.
community initiatives if the groves are to be conserved in the
future.
is controlled by local institutional arrangements that have
4. Discussion protected the groves through many generations. These norms
are known not only to the presiding priests, but also to most
Need for conservation of sacred groves: most authorities of the villagers of all the different local communities in each
in the past [10] and others emphasized that extraction of village. This includes complete protection in one grove and
resources from the grove was strictly prohibited. This is not so partial protection in twelve groves (Figure 1). Two of the
today in the groves of the Mulshi District where development groves have been completely destroyed due to construction
in the form of land use change is increasing rapidly over the of a dam. For example, complete protection is observed in
last decade. These groves are important today as they are the Kalkai sacred grove where nothing can be taken or used.
potential banks of genetic diversity that must be preserved. In the Bhiravwadi and Wadwathar groves “toddy” (liquor)
In the local context the sacred groves have ecological values, is tapped. In the Kanguram sacred grove medicinal plants
economic concerns, societal functions and use of traditional such as “ringni” is used to cure dental problems. From the
sacred rituals, and customs for management. The long term eight groves fruits such as Mangifera indica and Artocarpus
economic value of sacred groves is difficult to assess as it heterophyllus are collected. The seasonal collection of flowers
will only become overt when new uses are found for its rare from the grove includes overextraction of Curcuma elata, a
and endemic species of flora and fauna. Conservation of flower used for rituals at the Ganesh festival. These flowers are
sacred groves however acts as a contributor to maintenance extensively collected in eightgroves from August to October.
of local and regional biodiversity and maintenance of the In six of the groves grazing cattle is permitted. In nine groves
comprehensive health of a landscape and preservation of the dead fallen branches of the trees can be used as fuel wood
sociocultural integrity of local communities [4, 11, 12]. (Figure 2).
Policy and institutional aspects of resource management Societal functions of sacred groves and local management
in the sacred groves: in the sacred groves resource use concerns: there are local institutions and rules of behavior
4 Journal of Anthropology

Table 2: Levels of sustainability of sacred groves.

Economic concerns Societal concerns Environmental (ecological) concerns

Unsustainable Sustainable Unsustainable Sustainable Unsustainable Sustainable
Understanding the
Loss of biodiversity
Conservation of concept of
at all levels, leading Need for better
Destruction of indigenous plant intellectual
Exploitation by to destruction of management by
habitat and species for their property rights
outside people for sacred grove which establishing
poaching of species option value; (IPR).
various uses such is responsible for Community
for economic consumptive and Sustainability of
as a picnic spot. loss of overall Conserved Areas
reasons. productive value of resources by local
ecosystem (CCAs).
resources. traditional forest
integrity.
communities.
Biodiversity Due to
Increasing cost of Extraction of forest Stringent
values (faunal Traditions that deforestation and
land for products should be implementation of
and floral) Wild flowers used safeguard the forest degradation, the
urbanization limited to permit laws and
in rituals. should be biodiversity of the
overuse for adequate Biodiversity Act
encouraged. area is adversely
pharmaceuticals. regeneration. 2004.
affected.
Overexploitation Local people or
Better
of forest products traditional forest
Carrying capacity Limited use of management
for extensive use of dwellers are
of the forests must detritus for rural through local
timber and deprived of their
not be exceeded. energy. involvement by
nontimber forest rights over the
establishing CCAs.
product (NTFP). forest.
Plantations of local Use of locale
species. specific
Ecodevelopment of ecorestoration and
surrounding ecotourism to
village. reduce threat.
Loss of precious Linkages to
Use of concepts
Unsustainable No land for local biodiversity, regional Protected
Land use pattern and programmes
Surrounding change in land use tribal-forest increase in Area Network;
should be such that like community
land use pattern due to dwellers who are deforestation, ecorestoration of
environmental reserves, joint
(grazing, short term deprived of their increase in degraded
concerns are forest management
fodder) economic gain. traditional rights wastelands. landscape and
addressed. (JFM), and
Land speculation. over the forest. Urban sprawl formation of
ecodevelopment.
leading to poverty. corridor forest.
Intensive Mix crops or crop
agriculture, Reduction in soil rotation should be
depending on cash Traditional Farmers receive fertility due to practiced to
Traditional hill
crops. Change in agricultural economic change in maintain the soil
slope agriculture
cropping pattern systems that incentives to grow traditional fertility and proper
(nachni, varai, etc.)
for short term permit a wide cash crops for techniques; high selection of the
should be
Agriculture economic gain, for range of produce to national and risk of drought and crops depending
encouraged as it is
example, be grown and international flood conditions, upon the soil
an insurance
cultivation of marketed market, rather than desertification due structure and
against the failure
sugarcane and use throughout the to supply local to overgrazing, fire, restriction of
of one crop.
for Japanese year. nutritional needs. change in land use grazing areas
technique for rice to urban settings. should be
cultivation. implemented.
Offer of money to
Enormous increase Control on Solid waste
Overexploitation the deity which is
in the number of negative activities pollution of plastic, Ecotourism
of fuel wood helpful for
tourists and of tourists and wrappers, and so training.
Pilgrimage during annual fest. maintenance of the
pilgrims. pilgrims. forth.
sacred grove.
Initiatives for
local.
Journal of Anthropology 5

Present management authority of sacred groves in Mulshi to take correct decisions for the village. The priest places two
region of the Western Ghats beetle nuts or wheat grains in two water droplets that trickle
down the side of the deity’s platform. One grain of wheat is
7% placed in the right trickle of water and another is placed in
20% the left trickle. The objects are held to the side of the platform
by surface tension of the water. The priest asks the deity for
a “yes” or “no” response to a question. The question may be
linked to permission to fell a tree or help in solving social or
40% personal problems of villagers. If the right grain falls off the
deity’s platform first it is considered a good omen and the
answer is a “yes.” If the left falls first it is a bad omen and
33%
the answer is a “no.” The villagers got left grain that means
temple should not be constructed. Indirectly their beliefs save
the forest because construction of temple will harm the whole
forest patch. This ritual was performed frequently in the past
Privately owned Temple trust
Community owned Destructed
and resulted in refusing permission for felling of trees in the
grove. The stochastic chance would be about fifty percent.
Figure 3: Present management authority of sacred groves in Mulshi The younger Pujaries (priests) have stopped performing these
region of the Western Ghats. ceremonies in the last two decades as they believe that the
previous generation had divine powers which they do not
possess.
Current threat: due to the developmental programs and
towards the sacred site which lead to resource preservation. land use change in the area the groves and their surrounds
The expert interviews which have been recorded from local are being degraded. The whole Temghar village has been
priests emphasize the societal aspects rather than the man- relocated due to the construction of Temghar dam. There was
agement concerns of sacred groves. Ownership plays a vital a large sacred grove in the area dedicated to the deity Vanoba
role in local management (Figure 3). The grove land may be (Van in the local language means “forest”). In Wadwathar
privately owned by an individual, family owned, common and Kanguram village sacred groves have been fragmented
property of the village, panchayat (local government) lands, due to construction of a tarred road passing through the
or recently created temple trusts. Cultural practices related groves. Among the fifteen sacred groves, three of the shrines
to the sacred groves vary considerably. Among the fifteen have been converted into temple trusts in the recent past.
sacred groves studied only one grove is privately owned which Development of trusts for managing the groves is responsible
was bought in 1956 by the father of the present owner of for degradation of ancient traditional management systems.
the grove. In Tamini, Kharavade, and Kolavade villages, the The traditional management system led to the conservation of
local people have established temple trusts. The ownership of indigenous knowledge as well the protection of biodiversity
grove has an impact on resource use and level of protection of the groves. The change is also responsible for an increase
as the trust is responsible for implementing local rules. It is in the number of pilgrims from distant places. This results
also linked to other cultural aspects such as animal sacrifice in unmanageable amounts of nondegradable solid waste,
and Kaul ceremonies. In case of Kharavade sacred grove, biodegradable garbage, and air and noise pollution inside
villagers have created trust for better management of sacred the groves. In the past it was not possible to build a large
grove. These temple trusts act as extra income source for temple as local traditional management insisted that it had
villagers. It is responsible for maintenance of the grove and to be completed overnight. It also required that a successful
management of pilgrims. They have constructed a bhakta “Kaul” ceremony was done, and divine permission had to be
niwas (lodge) for pilgrims in the adjacent villages. They obtained from the deity before construction.
take charges from pilgrims for providing a common facility During expert interviews the impacts of development on
to stay, drinking water, and sanitation. The money is used the sacred groves were discussed with local people. They
for maintenance of the temple. The trustee and members mainly link the impacts on the groves to surrounding changes
organize an annual fest for the deity. So such social gathering in the economics of land and resources that are driven
gives large amount of money from devotee. Presently the by neighboring urban markets. The possible conservation
grove which was surrounded by trees is converted into a strategies that could help to restore the “naturalness” of
commercialized temple only. Generally the priest of the grove degraded sacred groves were discussed with local people, and
is the managing authority of the trust. So it is his beliefs and their active participation has been assessed.
decision to make changes in the grove. For example, in the Ecological management: the existing management func-
case of Chandiwali sacred grove the decision is based on local tions are usually cryptic and are not generally associated
traditional ceremony Kaul. This ceremony is executed by local with managerial functions by the local community. Local
priests in front of the village deity to solve local problems. The people do not associate the groves with issues such as
villagers of Chandiwali wanted to construct a temple inside the need for biodiversity conservation or integrity of water
the grove. In order to take permission from deity the Kaul resources. However, these “modern” surrogate values can be
ceremony was conducted. In this ritual the deity is supposed used to strengthen local support for groves that are being
6 Journal of Anthropology

threatened by the increasing economic value of land and/or Future potential management strategies: if groves are
timber value sequestrated in the groves. The local people being satisfactorily protected by local people, any interven-
can be made aware of some of the ecological functions of tion by the Forest Department, other government organi-
the grove through an awareness campaign and a school zations, or NGOs may in fact become counterproductive.
education program. This must include the importance of Thus careful studies of existing institutional mechanisms
biodiversity values, especially rare endangered threatened that have preserved the groves are required to be assessed
and endemic flora and fauna of the grove; the role of the grove and documented before any new interventions are instituted.
in local sustainable land use management; functions related The tabular way of strategies to study sacred groves has
to water management and soil preservation; the economic been shown in Figure 4. The level of intactness and extent
potential as a gene pool of wild relatives of crops and the of utilization of resources from the grove are prerequisites
availability of seed banks of rare trees that are present in to development of rational future management strategies.
the grove. The role of the grove for microclimate control: However the concept of developing and managing ICCAs
the importance of carbon sequestration and the economic (Indigenous Community Conserved Areas), or creating
potential of the grove through sustainable tourism can be Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC), and People’s
explained to local people to support management of the Biodiversity Registers (PBR) as registries of local biodiversity
groves [13]. The sacred groves improve the soil stability of the knowledge can act as a tool for assisting local communities to
area thus preventing erosion. Further these habitats maintain manage the groves proactively. These options may be used as
microclimate, enhance nutrient cycling, and can be used as a new strategies without underplaying the spiritual importance
unique focus of in situ conservation. The sacred groves act as of the groves. This would also permit gaining government
small less disturbed islands of vegetation and are an asylum recognition of their rights over biodiversity and recognition
for endemic and endangered plant and animal species [14]. of their traditional culture.
The groves in Mulshi act as store houses of medicinal plants The role of education and awareness for management
and wild plants that could help as sources of gene pools for of the sacred groves: the “role of education and awareness
cultivar varieties. These concepts must now be included in for conservation management of resources within the sacred
redrafting of management practice by the local community groves” is a key component for the future sustainable manage-
where necessary, as their traditional knowledge is not overtly ment of the groves by local communities. The identification
linked to complex scientific foundations of ecological theory. of specific groups of people or local functionaries is essential
Biodiversity conservation management: expert inter-
for conservation action. A major stakeholder group should be
views demonstrated that these management functions are
local school students as they form an important, enthusiastic,
not understood precisely by local people as the concepts are
organized group to spread the need for conservation of the
essentially not a part of their local traditional knowledge
systems. If however modern concepts of conservation biology groves in the community. This would help in establishment
are explained in the local language these functions are easily of modern concepts of conservation in the villages by linking
appreciated. Most respondents agreed that the large groves them to their own traditional knowledge. If sacred groves
of old growth signify near climax vegetation patterns and act have to be conserved, younger generations should under-
as benchmarks of “naturalness.” When all the species present stand their importance both as a part of their traditional
in the fifteen small groves were surveyed for their species knowledge and through newer scientific approaches to biodi-
richness they together contain a majority of the species found versity conservation at ecosystem, species, and genetic levels.
in the region. The role of these small patches in ecosystem Local awareness strategies are to be looked at in terms of a
services like carbon sequestration, temperature control, and temporal analysis by asking local people, especially the elderly
water conservation can be explained to local people for better respondents, about the traditional values that were enshrined
management of the groves. Few studies on development in the grove and its deity in previous years. Studies have
strategies however endorse this role in biological or the been made by asking them about the local folklore associated
potential ecological services of groves as being assets that with the origins of the grove which have been described in
local people can use sustainably. Being a part of relic forests, their own words. Folk stories connected with an integral part
groves are repositories of ancient trees and undisturbed of local myths and beliefs. This is now being lost due to
soils which play a pivotal role in sequestering considerable the rapidly vanishing local sentiments and a decrease in the
amounts of carbon [15]. Isolated small fragments may not reverence level towards the deity which had once prevented
have a great impact on regional temperature control on a loss of the “naturalness” of the groves.
large scale, but their role in maintaining the local climate
near the ground cannot be ignored. This function protects 5. Conclusion
and helps in preservation and regeneration of ecologically
sensitive species. Local people knew that endangered species The study reveals the strong local management strategies link
such as the giant squirrel which have disappeared from most between folk culture and their land for a variety of surround-
parts of Mulshi are still found in some of the sacred groves. ing landscape elements. The management systems used at
Studies on scattered trees in African savannas have shown present in some groves permit a limited level of resource use
that, due to interception of radiation and precipitation, they to be extracted from the groves. This has permitted the sacred
offer cooler microclimate in their surroundings, which act as groves to develop into old growth forests of great antiquity.
shelter for many small organisms [16–18]. The residents of Mulshi interviewed during this study clearly
Journal of Anthropology 7

Strategies for conservation of sacred grove

Need to conserve Local Future

Threat management
the groves management
options for
Change in people’s conservation of the
attitude groves
Maintain ecological Based on religious
balance belief (ritual such as Change in
“Kaul”) Ecodevelopment
sociocultural practices

Gene bank for Negative human

indigenous species impact on the
Based on societal CCA (Community
functions such as groves Conserved Areas)
local traditions and
Conservation of festivals Developmental
biodiversity Excessive tourism
activities
Encroachment of
Habitat the grove for
Based on economic degradation
Managing the residential use
functions based on
natural resources local rule and Grove Exploitation of
regulation for fragmentation resources
accessing resources
from the grove Resettlement Generation of waste
of the area and noise

Figure 4: Strategies for conservation of sacred grove.

brought out their deep understanding of local forest resources and their surrounds. Only strong locally relevant public
as a life giving support system. However, they indicated that opinion to conserve these regions fragile ecosystem and
development has altered their perception due to the economic traditional cultural values can save the groves from ultimate
bonanza that land speculators have offered them over the annihilation.
last decade. The local myths, stories, and religious rituals
are gradually being homogenized by external influences and
the influx of towns’ people and formal school education. Conflict of Interests
Thus ceremonial rituals such as the “Kaul” that had a strong The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
controlling influence on resource extraction from sacred regarding the publication of this paper.
groves are not practiced by the younger generation. The
groves are slowly but surely being degraded or even severely
damaged. An example is the complete destruction of the References
Lavarde grove which was an excellent example of a grove. The
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