Floristic Diversity and Ethnobotanical Studies of Nandha Gopalasamy Hill Temple Sacred Grove of Western Ghats, Pollachi Taluk, Coimbatore

Background: The sacred groves are considered to be ecologically most important area as they are rich in plant diversity. It is considered to be repository of many important medicinal plantspecies including endangered and endemic and many valuable plant species. An ethanobotanical survey was carried out to assess the floristic diversity and it medicinal properties used by the indigenous peoples and local people. The floristic study conducted to understand the status of vegetation an it is important step towards conservation. Methods: The study was carried out for about one yearby frequent field visit and inperson interview with indigenous peoples to know the medicinal properties of the species. Result: The study showed presence of 54 medicinal plants out of which 22 are herbs, 12 shrubs, 2 climbers and 17 are tree habits. All the plants are found to be highly medicinal in treating many diseases. The survey reveals the conservation importance of the sacred grove to safe guard the ecosystem for sustainable development.

Effect of Slope Positions on Properties of Soils of some Forest reserves in South-West Nigeria

Topography has an influence on soil erosion and consequently on the properties of soils. The effect of slope position on soil properties is of great importance in soil suitability assessment. This study assessed the effect of topographic position on the characteristics of soil of basement complex rocks derived soils under Teak (Tectona grandis) and Gmelina (Gmelina arborea) plantations in Osun sacred grove, Onigambari and Omo forest reserves situated within South-West Nigeria. Three soil profiles were dug in each landuse type, sited at the upper, middle and lower slope positions along a toposequence. Soil samples were collected according to their pedogenetic horizons and were analyzed using standard methods. Results showed variations in colour, depth of soil profile, soil structure, texture, drainage and soil consistence. The high sand content dominated the particle size fraction in all the soils formed from the three locations, and base saturation was rated very high with values >90% irrespective of the toposequence or slope position. The result of correlation analysis between slope position and content of N, P, K and CEC showed a significant relationship irrespective of locations with N(r = 0.019< 0.05) respectively. Despite variation in soil properties as influenced by topography, the studied soils can sustain the current land use type. It was concluded that soils on different topographic positions should be managed differently.

Floristic diversity of Umari Dham sacred grove in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

The Umari Dham is a sacred grove situated at the Jamwa Ramgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaipur District of Rajasthan, India. It’s a beautiful arbour near the city of Jaipur. Umari Dham sacred grove has a temple, which has been visited by worshippers for approximately 450 years. During present field investigation, attempts were made to categorize the floral diversity of this sacred grove, and around 215 flowering plant species belonging to 159 genera under 52 families have been recorded according to Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (APG III) classification. This grove serves as a vital pool for preservation of threatened, endemic and medicinal plant species.

Drivers of Biodiversity Conservation in Sacred Groves: A Comparative Study of Three Sacred Groves in Southwest Nigeria.

Globally, sacred groves represent a traditional form of community-based conservation system, recognized for their capacity to preserve areas that are of cultural and religious importance to local people. In most cases, the entire community takes on a watchdog role to guard against encroachment and unauthorized access either by its members or outsiders who might desecrate such sites. Our paper investigates the effects of different governance arrangements on three sacred groves in southwest Nigeria⎯Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove (UNESCO World Heritage Site); Idanre Hills (Nigerian National Monument) and Igbo-Olodumare (local cultural site)⎯on their socio-economic and religio-cultural benefits and contribution to biodiversity conservation. Using a mixed-methods design of a semi-structured questionnaire (n=167), key informant interviews (n=2), and focus groups (n=7), we collected data from local community members, traditional priests, sacred grove devotees and tourism officials. We found that customary institutions have guided reverence for sacralized spaces and wise utilization of their unique resources. The growing recognition of sacred groves has paved the way for socioeconomic rewards for individuals and government as cultural tourism increases. We found that the involvement of formal institutions alongside customary institutions in sacred grove management reinforces compliance with conservation laws within the sacred groves, especially where traditional norms are weak or may be disregarded. We discuss the implications of these observations and offer suggestions to improve community engagement, uphold traditional ecological knowledge, and develop ecotourism within the groves. We conclude that the co-existence of community-based conservation through a system of established traditional norms and prohibitions as well as formal government legislation and management, offers assurance for the long-term preservation of sacred groves and their biodiversity.

‘Sacred groves’- an insight into Dalmatian forest history

The French administration in Dalmatia (1805-1813) was short but is often praised by foresters as advanced in terms of woodland management because of their establishment of so-called sacred groves or sacri boschi. Based on archival sources and 19^th century maps, this research explores the establishment and demise of sacred groves and places them within the broader forest history of Dalmatia. It reveals that the literal translation of the term sacro bosco as sacred grove (sveti gaj) by the 19^th century foresters was not precise which caused misrepresentation and misunderstandings of what sacro bosco actually meant. The more appropriate translation would be forbidden groves (zabranjen gaj) as this also reflects the nature of these woodlands, which were in fact woodland sections where exploitation was prohibited. Establishment of forbidden groves was not a French invention since the practice was widely used before the French and during the Austrian Empire (1814-1918). In the second half of the 19^th century and with the change of official language, the Italian term sacro bosco was replaced with the Croatian term protected area (branjevina).

Devbans, Caste, Gender and the State:Political Ecology of a Sacred Grove of Himachal Pradesh

Devbans are the parts of forest territory that have been traditionally conserved in reverence to the local deities in various parts of Himachal Pradesh. Today, they stand at the intersection of tradition and modernity. This paper endeavours to study the political ecology of a Devban in the contemporary times by looking at the power dynamics between various stakeholders with respect to their relative decision making power in the realm of managing the Devban of Parashar Rishi Devta. It further looks at howcertain political and administrative factors can contribute towards the growth or even decline of any Devban. The study argues that in the contemporary times when the capitalist doctrines have infiltrated every sphere of the social institutions including the religion, Devbans have a greater probability of survival when both the state and the community have shared conservatory idealsand powers to preserve them.

Performing the Elements in Indian Eco-Theatre: Deepan Sivaraman’s The Legends of Khasak

This article considers The Legends of Khasak, a Malayalam play by Deepan Sivaraman, as a landmark Indian eco-theatrical production. I argue for the play as an important development in a nascent Indian eco-theatre, telling an ecologically significant tale about the relationship between humans and nature through performative and scenographic innovations that transform the theatrical space into a sacred grove, a place of deep significance in terms of ecological balance. This essay elaborates on how the play celebrates the pancha bhutas, the five elements of nature, by displaying their agency and invoking the pancha indriyas, or the five pathways of human perception, and thereby awakening an awareness of our status as ecological beings enmeshed in the non-human world. In The Legends of Khasak, Sivaraman has evolved an eco-material aesthetics of performance that, influenced by traditional folk performance forms and rituals and post-independence syncretic theatre, makes a lasting contribution to the development of an Indian eco-drama.

Sacred Groves: A Pattern of Zagros Forests for Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Reduction

Background Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide has led to the global consequences of climate change. Biological carbon sequestration through vegetation and soils is one of the cost-effective ways to reduce this gas. Forest's ecosystems are the most important carbon pools among terrestrial ecosystems and play a sustainable and long-term role in reducing climate change. Among forest ecosystems, sacred groves are less-disturbed and they can be a pattern of successful forest management for carbon sequestration and climate change reduction. In the present study, for the first time, the amount of carbon content in sacred grove and silvopastoral lands were investigated to determine the capacity of Zagros oak forests in carbon sequestration and climate change reduction. The aim of this study was to estimate the amount of carbon reserves in mentioned land-uses in order to obtain a systematic attitude towards management of these different land-use types and attain a suitable solution to counter the climate change crisis and ultimately sustainable environmental development. Results The results showed that each of the studied variables in the two studied land use is significantly different from each other. The mean of each of these biomass or carbon pools in silvopastoral is significantly lower than sacred groves. The results indicate that the common utilizations in the forests of the study area cause a significant reduction (P ≤ 0.01) in the forest biomass value and respective carbon content. Sacred grove currently absorbs 826.96 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare more than silvopastoral lands and this is a sign of high degradation in the forests of the study area. Conclusions According to the results obtained in this study, forest ecosystems that are protected against human intervention play a significant role in long-term carbon storage. Any interference with the natural conditions of the ecosystem has a significant negative impact on carbon reserves. Therefore, by selecting appropriate measures, local communities should be empowered to reduce their dependence on low incomes obtained from deforestation and conversion.