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Sacred groves of India: repositories of a rich heritage and tools for biodiversity conservation

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Abstract

Sacred groves preserve a rich religious and socio-cultural heritage of Indian biodiversity from primeval times, due to their values. They act as a bridge between man and nature. Groves help to improve soil quality, replenish water resources and are pivotal for biodiversity conservation of plants and animals including rare, endemic, threatened, vulnerable species and ethnobotanical species. Most of India’s sacred groves are associated with a deity or a spiritual being, who protects the grove and local people. Vegetation cover of these groves has traditional ethnobotanical value, especially in the field of ethnomedicine, which accounts for the conservation of groves over the years. Numerous plant species from sacred groves are used according to tradition and culture to prevent or cure various health problems. However, modernisation, industrialisation, increased encroachment and misuse of forest resources increasingly threaten sacred groves. These treasures of nature must be conserved by formulating and applying new laws and policies while creating awareness among people about the value of sacred groves. Toward this aim, we review the distribution, ecological and socio-cultural significance of sacred groves of India and strategies to conserve them.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank DAV College, Amritsar for providing library and internet facilities to search the literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, DAV College, Amritsar, Punjab, 143001, India

    Sakshi Sharma

  2. DAV College, Amritsar, Punjab, 143001, India

    Rajesh Kumar

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  1. Sakshi Sharma
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Correspondence to Rajesh Kumar.

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Sharma, S., Kumar, R. Sacred groves of India: repositories of a rich heritage and tools for biodiversity conservation. J. For. Res. 32, 899–916 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-020-01183-x

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