Sacred groves play an important role in conserving biodiversity in India. They preserve many rare and endangered plant and animal species. Sacred groves originate from the close ties between indigenous religions, cultures, and nature. They are protected by traditional beliefs and restrictions. However, sacred groves now face threats from declining traditions, population growth, urbanization, and lack of legal protections. Conservation strategies aim to safeguard these areas and their biodiversity through community engagement and new laws.

1. Sacred Groves And Their In Conserving
Biodiversity

2. SACRED GROVES
 SACRED GROVES AND THEIR ORIGIN

3.  CLASSIFICATION OF SACRED GROVES

4.  RITUALS IN SACRED GROVES

5.  BIOLOGICAL &ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

6.  SACRED GROVES IN INDIA
• Andhrapradesh has more than 750 sacred groves from 23 districts with species
such as neredu, chintha,niamidi,panasa
• Arunachal Pradesh has sacredgroves attached to Buddhist monastreries,which
are managed by Lama
• Sacred groves are referred to by different names in various parts of Karnataka
such as devarabana,devarakadu,hulidevarakadu
• The groves are divided into two categories smaller and larger
• Sacredgroves are present in Bihar,Chhotanagpur,with different types of saranas
• Sacred groves in Jharkhand are popularly known as sarana or jaherthan and are
celebrated when sal trees start flowering
• The anthropological accounts of the tribes in Madhya Pradesh suggest the
existence of sacred groves .Sacred groves forms an important landscape feature
in the deforested hill ranges of the Western chats of Maharashtra

7.  SACRED GROVES IN KERALA
• The census report of Travancore in 1891 reported the presence of
15,000 sacred groves in Kerala
• Sacred groves were important for Nair and Nambudiri family of the
state.
• A separate kavu or an bode of snakes was an important feature of the
sacred groves in the state
• In the Kerala region refers to the groves owned collectively by the
villagers mostly dedicated to Ayyappa and Goddess Bhagavathi
• These groves are known as Ayyappan kavu or Sastham Kavu.It is
estimated that about 500 ha of forest area is under sacred groves

8.  ROLE OF SACRED GROVES IN CONSERVING
BIODIVERSITY
Religious and cultural practices are rooted in the forest, helping to
conserve nature.
The reverence for nature is well known in India, and it is deeply
ingrained in the culture of many groups of people. Due to the close
ties between religion and cultural practises and forests, conservation
is greatly helped.
While many sacred groves are still in good condition, others have
been destroyed and are now in danger due to human invasion

9.  Groves are essential for preserving biodiversity, including rare,
systemic, affected, and ethno - botanical species of plants and animals.
They also help to improve soil quality and regenerate water resources.
Tradition and culture determine that many plant species from sacred
groves are used to prevent or treat a variety of illnesses
By creating and applying new laws and regulations and raising public
awareness of the importance of sacred groves, these natural treasures
can be preserved

10.  SOCIO- CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
 "Sacred Grove" is well-known for
nature worship, and the word "sacred"
denotes a place where something may
have been sacrificed in the service of a
religious group
 There are social and cultural meanings
associated with sacred groves that are
related to the indigenous or tribal
peoples' religious practises

11. However, detailed accounts of the socio-cultural functions of sacred groves have
been demonstrated by numerous ethnographic studies, such as (Nath1960), which
discussed that on the occasion of Deepavali, food and alcohol offerings are made in
sacred groves among the Bhils tribes of Ratanmal; without any images of divine beings,
Hindu festivals like Holi, Navratri, and Devdiwali have been performed into sacred
groves in Nilgiri district of Maharashtra.
 Traditional management of sacred sites aims to protect their exclusivity or propriety by
restricting for trespassers or anyone without approval to the area regarded as sacred
 It is now possible to view sacred locations as a turning point for research activities on
both their own virtues and their potential value for biodiversity conservation. This
reflects the growing gratitude for sacred groves around the world. It plays a crucial
part in allowing religion and spirituality to coexist peacefully with science and
intellectual experiences.

12.  THREATS-
 These natural sacred sites have historically been conserved, protected,
and maintained by a variety of taboos, prohibitions, beliefs, and
restrictions that vary between and within communities. The locals'
traditional religious, spiritual, and cultural ties to the grove have led them
to uphold these beliefs, which are what have allowed the groves to
survive. High biological diversity areas within degraded environments
have been preserved as a result of customary environmental respect and
access controls to sacred sites.
 Sadly, it has been noted in numerous studies that the country's sacred
groves are in danger due to the decline in traditional beliefs and
associated taboos. The greatest risks to maintaining traditional natural
resources through sacred groves have been determined to be the total
collapse of traditional beliefs and the associated taboos

13.  As a result, the local natural resource base of several communities has
been overused and degraded,reported that factors such as rapid
population growth, urbanisation, human migration, re - integration,
influence of western technology, foreign religion and beliefs,
encroachment, deforestation, etc. can be blamed for the breakdown of
beliefs that protect these sacred areas. reported that the breakdown or
disrespect of traditional belief systems is also caused by the absence of
contemporary laws to support traditional laws.

14.  STRATEGIES FOR CONSERVATION OF
SACRED GROVES

15.  CONCLUSION

16. REFERENCE -:

17.  PREPARED BY-:
• GROUP - 1
1. AMRITA KRISHNAKUMAR
2. AMRITHA.S
3. AMRUTHA ANOOP
4. APARNA REGUNATH J

19. THANK YOU