Course:CONS200/2024WT1/Ecotourism Threats on Sacred Grove Conservation

Add your introduction here, covering general background information about the topic (e.g. location, duration).

What is a Sacred Grove?

Images from Wikimedia Commons can be embedded easily.

The Sacred Forest is a natural space with a deep spiritual and cultural atmosphere that is very well known. It serves as a place of honor and respect but also as an ecological reserve. These areas, which are often made up of superabundant greens that form a forest, are full of significance to a wide variety of people, including the indigenous communities. Additionally, they are considered to be the home of gods, spirits, and ancestors. Sacred forests are found in different geographical areas, ranging from ancient Celtic forests and sacred spaces in Greece or Rome to well-preserved forest areas in Africa, India, and Japan. Each forest holds a different meaning, as some are dedicated specifically to natural spirits, and others serve in public spaces for ceremonies, celebrations, and festivals. In many areas, the tradition of preserving sacred forests plays a key role in safeguarding local biodiversity. Plants and animals in sacred forests are sheltered from human activity, and this undisturbed environment allows unique ecosystems to flourish, preserving rare species and genetic diversity.

In addition to ecological benefits, sacred forests also contribute to water conservation, with many containing springs, rivers, or ponds that are considered sacred by local communities. Its spiritual values keep the boundaries between human activity and nature conservation because putting down trees or killing animals in these areas is often prohibited, allowing them to avoid the threat of deforestation and overuse. However, with the introduction of mainstream religions (eg. Christianity, Islam) and colonial expansion and development, many sacred forests are under threat. During the Northern Crusades, for example, many forests in Europe were destroyed to erase the beliefs that grew along. Sacred forests in Africa and Asia were also neglected in land management policies, resulting in their switch to agricultural land.

Despite these challenges, the Holy Forest continues to prevail in some cultures. In India, for example, thousands of sacred forests from centuries ago are still protected by local communities. In Japan, Shinto shrines are often surrounded by sacred forests, reflecting the belief that gods inhabit nature. Ethiopia has also kept the sacred forest surrounding the church as an integral part of its religious practices. In conclusion, the Sacred Forest represents the significance of sustainable land management, combining aspects of spiritual reverence with ecological protection, which highlights the integration of cultural values into the conservation of nature. As a result, the sacred forest has become a representation of human beliefs in nature conservation, promoting biodiversity and environmental resilience.

Why are They Important?

Sacred groves represent important synergies between Indigenous cultural practices and the conservation of biodiversity.

Cultural Importance

Sacred groves are important cultural monuments across the globe. They serve as spiritual places, often in worship to a deity, built around a temple, or as burial sites [Parthasarathy, N., & Babu, K. N. (2020)].

Ecosystem Services

Sacred groves offer numerous benefits that can be quantified as ecosystem services. The ecosystem service model allows the benefits of ecosystems to be quantified and evaluated. Sacred groves have substantial value across all four categories of ecosystem services: supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural.

Supporting

By nature of being ancestral sacred spaces, sacred grove ecosystems represent climax communities [Pandey, A., Sardana, K., & Gupta, S. K. (2021)]. The structures and relationships in these forests are complex models of mature feedback loops and supporting services.

Sacred groves are often surrounded by a matrix of agricultural and state-managed reserve land [(Bhagwat et al., 2005b)].

Sacred grove sites have increased aboveground biomass when compared with the surrounding forests [Waikhom, A. C., Nath, A. J., & Yadava, P. S. (2017)]. There is more biodiversity in sacred grove sites [elaborate]. They have great potential for nutrient cycling [ ]. Many of these species are rare or threatened endemic species [Bhagwat, S. A., Kushalappa, C. G., Williams, P. H., & Brown, N. D. (2005b); Cardelús, C., Scull, P., Hair, J., Baimas-George, M., Lowman, M., & Eshete, A. (2013)].

Regulating

Intact communities of native vegetation provide valuable environmental services.

The amount of aboveground biomass in sacred grove sites acts as a carbon sink [Waikhom, A. C., Nath, A. J., & Yadava, P. S. (2017)].

Many sacred grove sites have a water body that benefits water balance through seepage [Parthasarathy, N., & Babu, K. N. (2020)]. These water bodies also serve as means of water filtration and natural purification through biotic processes.

They have higher porosity soils [Parthasarathy, N., & Babu, K. N. (2020)] and work to prevent erosion and nutrient leaching [De, M. (2017)].

Sacred groves are valuable habitats for many species of birds, macrofauna, and [etc.]

Mature trees offer microclimate regulation [Laxmi, R. (2014)].

Provisioning

Sacred groves are often important provisioning sites for local populations. They do not serve as sources of timber products since cutting down trees violates the sanctity of the groves. Instead, they are sources of non-timber first products, like useful macrofungi and medicinal plants [Bhagwat, S. A., Kushalappa, C. G., Williams, P. H., & Brown, N. D. (2005a)].

They provide drinking water [Diawuo, F., & Issifu, A. K. (2015)] and water for agricultural use [Parthasarathy, N., & Babu, K. N. (2020)].

Cultural

Beyond their role as sacred religious sites, sacred groves offer other cultural ecosystem services. They often serve as a space for outdoor recreation and enjoyment for local populations, who receive the wellness benefits of outdoor spaces [De Lacy, P., & Shackleton, C. (2017)].

Conservation Synergies

Sacred groves are uniquely critical environments protected by cultural beliefs.

For example, in Ghana, taboos and totem animals are essential factors contributing to the successful conservation of sacred groves [Diawuo, F., & Issifu, A. K. (2015)].

Often, animals with sacred standing in a community are protected by local reverence. This helps with the conservation of endemic species [Takahashi, Y., Veríssimo, D., MacMillan, D. C., & Godbole, A. (2012)]. By extension, locals will protect the habitats of these animals, like the pythons of the Sankana Community in Ghana [Diawuo, F., & Issifu, A. K. (2015).]

In many cases, fear is the driving factor behind the conservation of sacred groves as natural spaces [Parthasarathy, N., & Babu, K. N. (2020)]. The belief that deities or ancestral spirits reside in the groves is the motivation for stewardship and traditional land management practices. Cultural reverence for the land is common in Indigenous groups across the globe; most pre-colonial civilizations had ritualized land-use and resource-harvesting practices that promoted mindful use and conservation [Parthasarathy, N., & Babu, K. N. (2020)]

What Threats are they Facing?

Describe your analysis and evaluation of additional solutions and recommendations from a technical, social, cultural, economic, financial, political and/or legal points of view (not all of these categories will be relevant to all situations);

What are the Counter-Arguments?

You should conclude your Wiki paper by summarizing the topic, or some aspect of the topic.

References

Please use the Wikipedia reference style. Provide a citation for every sentence, statement, thought, or bit of data not your own, giving the author, year, AND page. For dictionary references for English-language terms, I strongly recommend you use the Oxford English Dictionary. You can reference foreign-language sources but please also provide translations into English in the reference list.

Note: Before writing your wiki article on the UBC Wiki, it may be helpful to review the tips in Wikipedia: Writing better articles.