Sacred groves protected by India’s tribal communities: Fostering a sense of togetherness and harmony

Photo courtesy Davidson Sargunam in Eco-spirituality in the face of climate change >>
Learn more about the Kaani community >>
United Nations on climate change >>

Living in harmony with Nature has been an integral part of Indian culture. This has been abundantly reflected in a variety of traditional practices, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore, arts and crafts, and in the daily lives of the Indian people from time immemorial. The present day global concerns for sustainable development and conservation of natural resources spanning the two decades between the Stockholm Conference of Environment in 1992 and the United Nations Conference on Human Environment and Development (Earth Summit) at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 are of recent origin in comparison to the long tradition and cultural ethos of nature conservation in India. […]
The constitution of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India is yet another reflection of the seriousness with which our country views these significant challenges. […]

One of the finest examples of traditional practices in India based on religious faith which has made a profound contribution to nature conservation has been the maintenance of certain patches of land or forests as ‘sacred groves’. – Dr S.M. Nair | Learn more >>

Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel 2011 — Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel
Source: www.thehindu.com (accessed: 16 September 2016) | Backup copy (PDF, 3,6 MB) >>
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Western Ghats tribal heritage and ecology >>

Names of tribal communities, regions and states of India

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Action for Community Organisation, Rehabilitation and Development (ACCORD) – www.accordweb.in

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Combine the name of any particular state, language or region with that of any tribal (Adivasi) community.

Add keywords of special interest (health, nutrition endangered language, illegal mining, sacred grove); learn about the rights of Scheduled Tribes such as the “Forest Rights Act” (FRA); and the United Nations “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, “women’s rights”, or “children’s right to education”.

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For official figures include “scheduled tribe ST” along with a union state or region: e.g. “Chhattisgarh ST community”, “Scheduled tribe Tamil Nadu census”, “ST Kerala census”, “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Jharkhand”, “PVTG Rajasthan”, “Adivasi ST Kerala”, “Adibasi ST West Bengal” etc.

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