Question

What is the role of sacred groves in conservation?

Answer 1

Tribal temples surrounded by deodar forests can be seen in the Kumaon region and Jaintias and Khasias in Meghalaya. Not a single branch can be cut from these forests, so numerous endemic species that are rare or extinct elsewhere thrive here. The Bishnois of Rajasthan practise religious protection of Prosopis cineraria and Black Buck. Some bodies of water are also considered sacred in specific regions, such as Khecheopalri in Sikkim. The aquatic flora and fauna are naturally conserved.