What are sacred groves? What is their role in conservation
Answers
sacred grove or sacred woods are any grove of trees that are of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and cult practice of Celtic, Baltic, Germanic, ancient Greek, Near Eastern, Roman, and Slavic polytheism, and were also used in India, Japan, and West Africa. Examples of sacred groves include the Greco-Roman temenos, the Norse hörgr, and the Celtic nemeton, which was largely but not exclusively associated with Druidic practice. During the Northern Crusades, there was a common practice of building churches on the sites of sacred groves. The Lakota and various other North American tribes consider particular forests or other natural landmarks to be sacred.
Ancient holy trees remain in the English and Estonian countryside and are mentioned often in folklore and fairytales.
Answer:
Sacred groves are tracts of forest which are regenerated around places of worship.
Sacred groves are found in Rajasthan, Western Ghats of Karnataka, and Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and Madhya Pradesh.
Sacred groves help in the protection of many rare, threatened, and endemic species of plants and animals found in an area.
The process of deforestation is strictly prohibited in this region by tribals.
Hence, the sacred grove biodiversity is a rich area.