Question

How do sacred groves help in the conservation of biodiversity?

Answer 1

These are the patches or grove of cultivated trees which are community protected and are based on strong religious belief systems which usually have a significant religious connotation for protecting the community. Each grove is an abode of a deity mostly village God Or Goddesses like Aiyanar or Amman.

448 grooves were documented throughout Tamil Nadu, of which 6 groves (Banagudi shola, Thirukurungudi, and Udaiyankudikadu, Sittannnavasal, Puthupet, and Devadanam) were taken up for detailed floristic and faunistic studies. These groves provide a number of ecosystem services to the neighborhood like protecting watersheds, fodder, medicinal plants, and micro climate control.