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| Sacred Groves and their Carbon Sequestration promise: A Windfall for Local Ecology! | | |
Dr. Pragya Khanna
Sacred groves are tracts of virgin forest with rich diversity, which have been protected by the local people for centuries for their cultural and religious beliefs and taboos that the deities reside in them and protect the villagers from different calamities. They are distributed across the globe, and diverse cultures recognize them in different ways encoding various rules for their protection. Every sacred grove carries its own legends, lore, and myths which form its integral part. An inextricable link between the present society and the past in terms of biodiversity, culture, religious and ethnic heritage exists in sacred groves.
Varying in size from a few trees to dense forests covering extensive tracts of land, sacred groves act as an ideal centre for biodiversity conservation. These groves are important today as they are banks of genetic and plant diversity that have to be preserved and sustained. These areas often contain species that have disappeared from the regions outside the grove. The extant groves are proof that the forests exist not only because there are regulations but also because there are traditions. Besides, sacred groves play a great role in maintaining the microclimate of the region; conservation of these groves can conserve water and prevent soil and nutrient loss. Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within these patches. They are known by different names in different regions as Than or Madaico in Assam, Matagudi, Devgudi or Sarana in Chattisgarah, Dev Van in Himachal Pradesh, Jaherthan or Sarana in Jharkhand, Devarakaadu or Kans in Karnataka, Kaavu in Kerala, Devrai or Devgudi in Maharashtra, Umang Lai in Manipur, Law Kyntang or Law Niam in Meghalaya, Jahera or Thakuramma in Orissa, Orans in Rajasthan, Kovilkaadu in Tamil Nadu, Bugyal or Dev Van in Uttarakhand and Garamthan or Jahiristhan in West Bengal.
Jammu & Kashmir being a land of saints, sages, philosophers and mystics has many sacred groves, locally known as Banis, named after the great spiritualistics, present all over the region, being managed by religious bodies or management committees. Mata Vaishno Devi, Jasrota Mata, Mansar Lake, Jhiri, Bahu Fort, Peer Kho, MahaMaya, Kol Kandoli, Panj Peer, Sehaj Nath, Raja Mandlik etc. are some of the important examples in Jammu.
As an illustration of custom and folklore that has led to the practice of belief and faith there are numerous instances that denote the rich heritage leading to the conservation of flora and fauna. Almost all Hindu Gods are associated with animals, birds and creatures as their vehicles or vahanas. This concept was to promote harmony in nature to maintain ecosystem. Protection of animals and other creatures along with human beings is essential to maintain the ecological balance. As a result, all categories of wild and domesticated animals were identified to Gods. For instance, Garuda (eagle) was considered as Vahanam (Vah in Sanskrit language means to carry or to transport) of Lord Vishnu, Peacock to Lord Muruga, Bull to Lord Shiva, Tiger to goddess Durga and Mouse to Vinayaka.
Similarly, just as the protection of fish in Mansar lake is well known and sanctified to the people of Jammu, it has been noted that Shipin, about 12 km from Shimla, is believed to be the biggest deodar grove in this district and is home to trees that are hundreds of years old. Villagers who pass through the grove dust their clothes to make sure they do not carry anything belonging to the grove. Trees in the area cannot be cut or felled, and all deadwood found in the forest is used in the temple located in the grove. There are hundreds of such groves in Himachal Pradesh. Also, sacred groves in the hills of Garhwal and Kumaon are mentioned in old Hindu scriptures like the Puranas. The largest known sacred grove is in Hariyali, near Ganchar in Chamoli District. Others include Askot, Binsar, and Gananath. In all these areas, fairs are held regularly and rituals performed.
Sacred groves exist in other parts of the world too. In ‘The Golden Bough’, author James Frazer says that people have worshipped forests right from the Palaeolithic age, thereby preserving them. In ancient Greece and Rome stone walls usually enclosed these forests. Initially these forests began as open-air temples but even after huge temples were built they continued to be protected. Many of them contained streams and lakes that were also considered sacred, and no one was allowed to fish in them or pollute them. Such groves still exist in countries such as Ghana, Syria, and Turkey. The survival of these groves depends entirely on the control of the community over the forest and the people.
It is quite unfortunate that changes in religious beliefs, socio-economic scenario, increasing human population, uncontrolled inflow of visitors, soil excavation works and other developmental pressures have resulted in deterioration of many sacred groves in the recent past. Invasion of exotic weeds is also a major threat. However, it is the urgent need of the hour to address the need for conserving sacred groves. In the settlement areas, fencing the grove would help in reducing grazing and other human intervention. Reforestation of groves by planting native plant species or species similar to that in the nearby groves may help the survival and growth of many species. Providing awareness about the uses of traditional knowledge/practices for the conservation of flora and fauna and, for maintaining the identity of the community may be significant for their conservation.
Nowadays more and more people are gathering at conferences to find urgent solutions which will have long-lasting but positive effects on reversing the current problems associated with rising carbon dioxide levels and the unsettling spectre of global warming and climate change. While many people are making concerted efforts to radically adjust their lifestyles and reverse the damage already done, only a clearer understanding of all the natural and industrial processes associated with carbon levels will lead to better results. Carbon sequestration is also little-known by most readers. Clearly defined, how carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the Earth’s atmosphere is called carbon sequestration. Importantly, carbon sequestration is both a natural and artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the Earth’s atmosphere and then stored in liquid or solid form. It is a process of capture and whether natural or artificial, storage of CO2 over a long period of time. The initial purpose of doing this is to delay global warming and avoid extreme climate change. It is also important to note that other forms of carbon, not just CO2 are stored during this sequestration process. A more scientific explanation (and example) is; the removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere to sinks like oceans, soil, forests through physical means and the natural process best known as photosynthesis. There is one positive trend of carbon sequestration. While large areas of forests have been cleared over the years, today humankind is still making concerted efforts to grow more forests to invigorate carbon sequestration.
Ability of plants to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide and store it in biomass is contributing to global carbon cycle. Sacred groves, which are one of the important regimes for forest management, play role in regulating climate by acting as sinks for carbon.
Carbon is one of the essential elements of life and green plants have unique ability to assimilate it in the form of carbon dioxide as raw material for food preparation. Thus, forests play a key role in climate change; both sinks and sources of carbon dioxide and the rate of sequestration depend on the growing stages of tree. The rate is highest in young age of trees between 20 and 50 years. Above-ground biomass of woody vegetation is one of the largest carbon pools. Above-ground biomass is determinant to the ecosystem’s potential for carbon storage. Forest trees are contributing to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration by accumulating it as biomass. This plays an important role in regulating the concentration of atmospheric CO2 and global climate change.
Today, many research projects are being taken up countrywide to document and catalogue the biodiversity of sacred groves, both to aid in conservation stratagem and to emphasise community rights to prevent outsiders, like pharmaceutical companies, from patenting local species and traditional knowledge.
In the words of Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, “Unlike a botanical garden, where a wide range of trees and plants are collected and cultivated for the purpose of our education and enjoyment, the sacred groves are one method of expressing the gratitude of human beings to the trees which sustain and support life under a given agro-ecological condition”. We therefore need immediate measures to stop the destruction of Sacred Groves and start their conservation as being an integral part of the social and cultural life in rural India. Documentation of all the sacred groves needs to be taken up on high priority basis so that management and conservation programs for these threatened groves can be initiated. |
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