Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment
Why in News?
In the dry region of Bundelkhand (spanning parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh), community-guarded sacred groves are thriving and maintaining rich biodiversity.
- A 2026 study by researchers at Maharaja Chhatarsal Bundelkhand University evaluated sacred groves (Jatashankar and Bhimkund in Chhatarpur district, MP) against nearby degraded government forest patches.
- These sacred sites exist completely outside formal legal frameworks, receiving no state forest report listing, title deeds, or budget allocation.
Scientific & Ecological Findings
|
Indicator
|
Sacred Groves (Devsthalis)
|
Adjacent Degraded Forest
|
|
Plant Species Count
|
70 – 72 species per site
|
40 – 51 species per site
|
|
Flora Composition
|
High density of native flora & medicinal herbs (Curcuma caesia, Chlorophytum borivilianum)
|
Dominating invasive weeds (e.g., Lantana camara)
|
|
Ecological Indices
|
Higher scores on Shannon-Wiener diversity index and lower dominance scores
|
Lower diversity, dominated by hardy invasive species
|
- Role of Dalit and Tribal Women - Research documents that Dalit and tribal women act as the primary stewards of these groves.
- Community Rule Enforcement – They regulate firewood collection, prevent the felling of live trees, and preserve traditional botanical and medicinal knowledge.
Key Threats Facing Sacred Groves
- Lack of Legal & Revenue Protection
- Most devsthalis sit on unclassified or revenue land rather than notified forest land.
- Without legal tenure, they remain vulnerable to encroachment from agriculture, road construction, and quarrying.
- Sanskritisation & Cultural Erosion
- Transition from nature-spirit worship to concrete temple structures reduces the sanctity of surrounding vegetation.
- Youth migration for employment weakens traditional rituals and taboos that previously protected the timber.
- Legal & Institutional Friction
- Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) - Allows creation of community reserves but transfers administrative control to the state forest department.
- Forest Rights Act (FRA) - Entrusts management and authority directly to the local Gram Sabha.
- Neither UP nor MP has formalised protection under either framework for these groves.
Reference
Down to Earth | Bundelkhand’s sacred groves
