Context: Sacred groves
Kerala has initiated a pilot restoration of sacred groves (kavus) to revive degraded ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and remove invasive species through community participation.
Sacred Groves and Their Significance
- Sacred groves are community-protected forest patches preserved due to religious and cultural beliefs
Significance
- Act as biodiversity hotspots with rare, endemic and medicinal species
- Provide ecosystem services: soil conservation, groundwater recharge, micro-climate regulation
- Serve as in-situ conservation sites with minimal human interference
- Reflect traditional ecological knowledge and community conservation ethics
Threats
- Urbanisation and land-use change
- Decline in traditional belief systems
- Invasive species encroachment
- Pollution and neglect
Sacred Groves in India – State-wise Names
- Kerala – Kavus
- Karnataka – Devarakadu
- Tamil Nadu – Kovil Kadu
- Maharashtra & Goa – Devrai
- Rajasthan & Gujarat – Orans
- Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh – Sarna
- Jharkhand – Sarna / Jaher Than
- Odisha & West Bengal – Jaher Than
- Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand – Dev Van
- Meghalaya – Law Kyntang / Law Lyngdoh
- Manipur – Umang Lai
- Assam – Than
