Sacred groves: the gene banks of threatened and ethnomedicinal flora, associated taboos and role in biodiversity conservation in the Peer Panchal range of North Western Himalayas, India

Abstract

Sacred groves are the traditionally managed small or large patches of relict vegetation conserved on religious beliefs and representing the climax vegetation. These sacred patches have some set of traditional rules or protocols called taboos, which are key to the conservation of the sacred groves and the diversity within. Interestingly, every sacred grove has its legends, myths, taboos, and lores which are an integral part of the sacred groves. Sacred groves act as a gene bank for the threatened and endemic flora and fauna diversity, which are either diminishing from the open forest areas are somewhere some species get cleared however, these are still found in good numbers in the sacred groves. The sacred forests are the powerhouse of important ethnomedicinal flora, and several important medicinal plants are housed in these sacred patches. In the Peer Panchal region, these sacred patches play a pivotal role in the conservation of vegetation, however, in the present era of modernity and development, these sacred patches are facing high anthropogenic pressure due to the erosion of traditional knowledge and beliefs, leading to high rate of deteriorations of these life savior patches of forests. The present work reviews the sacred groves in the Peer Panchal region of Northwestern Himalayas, intending to highlight their role in maintaining a balance in our ecosystem and the need to recognize their values and the proper need for the conservation of these life-savior patches of forests.