Description and types of sacred groves

Description and types of sacred groves. Definition of sacred groves. Sacred groves are forest fragments, size varying between 0.5 -500 hectare, which are protected by religious communities, and have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community. Sacred groves are the mini forests with rich diversity. Around 15000 sacred groves have been reported from different parts of India. Above 100 SGs are present in Rajasthan (only few in documented form)…………… 

Hunting and logging are usually prohibited in SGs. Developmental activities are also prohibited in these patches. Sacred groves are the fine example of in-situ conservation. Sacred groves are mostly associated with temples/monasteries / shrines or with cremation grounds. 

Sacred groves are the mini forests with rich diversity. Sacred Groves are also culturally important; various cultural and religious festivals are often arranged by local people within these patches.

Sacred Groves

Introduction

Sacred groves are the fine example of in-situ conservation. Sacred groves are forest fragments, size varying between 0.5 -500 hectare,(some groves are more than 500 hectare in size) which are protected by religious communities, and have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community. Sacred groves are the mini forests with rich diversity. Around 15000 sacred groves have been reported from different parts of India. Above 100 SGs are present in Rajasthan (only few in documented form).

Hunting and logging are usually prohibited in Sacred Groves. Developmental activities are also restricted within these patches. Sacred groves are mostly associated with temples/monasteries / shrines or with cremation grounds. Sacred groves occur in many parts of India, particularly where the indigenous communities live. Sacred Groves are also culturally important; various cultural and religious festivals are often arranged by local people within these patches. Sacred groves contain various ecosystems, various food chains and food webs are present in Sacred Groves.

Types of sacred groves

1. Temple Groves – A grove is created around the temple.
2. Traditional sacred grove – The place where the village deity resides, and represented by an elementary symbol.
3. Burial groves – A grove is created around the cremation grounds.

Biodiversity is also known as biological diversity. Biodiversity is the variety of all species on our planet. It includes different plants, animals, birds and micro-organisms, their genes, their habitats and all the ecosystems (forests, grass-lands, lacks, ponds, rivers, wet-lands etc.).

Biodiversity can be classified under three levels;

1. Ecosystem or ecological diversity
2. Species diversity
3. Genetic diversity

Biodiversity is the life support system of our planet. We need to conserve biodiversity.

Method of biodiversity conservation;

1. In-situ conservation – The most effective way of Biodiversity Conservation. It is on site conservation in the natural habitats. (Conservation of all species in their natural habitats.)

Example-National Park, Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves, Biosphere Reserve, Closed areas, Reserve Forests, Sacred Groves etc.

2. Ex-situ conservation – conservation of species outside of their natural habitats called ex-situ conservation. Plants and animals species are conserved in botanical gardens and zoological gardens, seeds are conserved in seed banks (gene bank) or some other suitable forms by mean of tissue culture techniques.

Example- Gene bank or Seed bank, Germ-plasm storage, live museum, Botanical gardens, Zoological gardens, Aquarium, Snake parks etc.