Sacred Groves

Context:

On 18 Dec 2024, the Supreme Court directed Rajasthan Forest Department to identify and classify all its Sacred Groves as forests and notifi them under the category of community reserves with the notification that they have fallen under WLPA 1972.

Background

Sacred groves are traditional, community conserved patches of forest with cultural and ecological significance. In Rajasthan, these groves cover approximately six lakh hectares across 25,000 sites. The Supreme Court’s order, however, challenges the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, which had been intended to return forest management to gram sabhas (village councils), rather than the Forest Department.

What are Sacred Groves?

• Sacred groves are small forests that are commonly protected by local communities because of their cultural or religious value. Most of these groves are tied to temples, shrines, or graveyards, and their protection is ensured by the local customs and taboos.
• They are biodiversity hotspots, conserving unique plant species, and often sources of medicinal plants and water. Sacred groves also help in soil conservation and reduce the impact of natural disasters like floods and landslides.
• India has 1-10 lakh sacred groves, the highest number in the world, with different names in different regions, such as devara kadu, devban, and kavu.

Traditional Community Conservation Methods

• Cultural and Religious Ties
  • Sacred groves are normally inviolable, and local taboos strictly forbid resource extraction, except for a few medicinal purposes.
• Local Governance
  • These groves are managed by communities through customary laws, which are passed down through generations, hence their protection.
• Ecological Role
  • Sacred groves help in local biodiversity conservation and, in many instances, act as water sources for areas around them while playing a key role in community health.

Community Reserves under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Community reserves were brought in under the WLPA 2002 for protecting areas of cultural significance wherein local communities voluntarily conserve habitats.

• Community Reserves
  • Local communities are in charge of preventing illegal activities and assisting the authorities in the conservation process.
  • Reserve management can only be carried out with the consent of the reserve management committee, comprising of local representatives.
  • Land use change in community reserve requires the nod of the committee and state government.

Forest Rights Act 2006 and Sacred Groves

• According to FRA 2006, Sacred groves comes under the ambit of Community Forest Resources, Gram Sabhas are mandated to manage and conserve.
• FRA’s Scope
  • The FRA recognizes communities’ customary rights over forest resources, which would give gram sabhas the power to manage sacred groves without Forest Department intervention.
  • The Supreme Court’s direction to notify sacred groves as community reserves under the WLPA could undermine the traditional governance established under the FRA, potentially conflicting with customary rights and local practices.

• Sacred groves have different names in different regions of India, including:
  • Sarna in Bihar 
  • Dev Van in Himachal Pradesh 
  • Devarakadu in Karnataka 
  • Kavu in Kerala 
  • Dev in Madhya Pradesh 
  • Devarahati or Devarai in Maharashtra 
  • Lai Umang in Manipur 
  • Law Kyntang or Asong Khosi in Meghalaya 
• Age
  • Some sacred groves are over 5,000 years old.