Sacred Groves: a Traditional Way of Conserving Plant Diversity in West Midnapore District, West Bengal, India
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PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles online OPEN ACCESS every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Sacred groves: a traditional way of conserving plant diversity in West Midnapore District, West Bengal, India Uday Kumar Sen 26 February 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 3 | Pages: 13350–13359 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4310.11.3.13350-13359 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Partner Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2019 | 11(3): 13350–13359 Sacred groves: a traditional way of conserving plant Communication diversity in West Midnapore District, West Bengal, India ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) Uday Kumar Sen ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM Department of Botany and Forestry, Vidyasagar University, Rangamat, Midnapore, West Bengal 721102, India. [email protected] OPEN ACCESS Abstract: Sacred groves are forest patches conserved by the local people interwined with their socio-cultural and religious practces. An extricable link between the past and present society in terms of religion, socio-culture, heritage and biodiversity exists in the sacred groves. It is distributed globally where ethnic indigenous communites live. Several animals and plants that are threatened in forests are stll abundant and well conserved in such sacred groves. The taboos, religious belief and sacredness play a signifcant role in promotng sustainable utlizaton and conservaton. In this regard, the study of a sacred grove in the district of West Midnapore in West Bengal highlightng the traditon may provide a powerful tool for ensuring biodiversity conservaton through community partcipaton. Keywords: Biodiversity, conservaton, IUCN, socio-cultural. DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4310.11.3.13350-13359 Editor: P. Lakshminarasimhan, Botanical Survey of India, Pune, India. Date of publicaton: 26 February 2019 (online & print) Manuscript details: #4310 | Received 01 June 2018 | Final received 05 February 2019 | Finally accepted 11 February 2019 Citaton: Sen, U.K. (2019). Sacred groves: a traditonal way of conserving plant diversity in West Midnapore District, West Bengal, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(3): 13350–13359; htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4310.11.3.13350-13359 Copyright: © Sen 2019. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: None. Competng interests: The author declares no competng interests. Author Details: Dr. Uday Kumar Sen, a post doctoral researcher, at the Department of Botany and Forestry, Vidyasagar University, has been conductng research mainly on ethnobotany, biodiversity and conservaton of sacred groves. His research works are mainly on documentng diversity of traditonal in situ conservaton and their existence throughout southern West Bengal. Acknowledgements: The author would like to express his grattude to Ram Kumar Bhakat (supervisor) for providing help and facilites to work in the Department of Botany and Forestry. The author is also thankful to the local communites for sharing their knowledge of plants and help during the feld survey. 13350 Sacred groves in West Bengal Uday INTRODUCTION of West Midnapore District in West Bengal shape and conserve a large number of plant species. Sacred groves are patches of forest vegetaton with rich diversity, which have been preserved by local communites for centuries based on taboos, religious MATERIALS AND METHODS beliefs and social sanctons with the implicit belief that the deites residing in them would protect the adjoining Study site people from unfavourable calamites (Khan et al. 2008; The study was conducted in an isolated sacred Ormsby 2011). Sacred groves are generally considered grove at the outer edge of two tribal dominated villages as a part of a broader set of cultural values that may (Joypur and Sinhajora in Lalgeria Gram Panchayat) under difer in various societes. But they are connected in Pirakata Police Staton in Salboni Block (22.5800N & meaningful ways to the environment of their origin 87.1840E, average alttude 57m) in the West Midnapore (Wild et al. 2008). The interest in sacred groves from District of West Bengal (Fig. 1). The grove is located the perspectve of nature conservaton lies in the about 32km northwest from district headquarters at component of biological diversity that they harbour, such Midnapore Town, located in the southern part of West as plant species, the habitats and ecosystems, as well as Bengal, India. the ecological dynamics and functons that support life within and outside the places. Linked to such biological The sacred grove diversity is the array of distnct human cultures that care The present sacred grove popularly known as ‘Joypur for them and hold them sacred (Berkes et al. 2000). Joysini Matar Than’ (named afer its presiding goddess The vast majority of sacred groves were arguably Joysini), is situated in the Midnapore Sadar subdivision founded by indigenous or folk religions and spiritualites, of West Midnapore District. The grove is spread over but many were subsequently adopted or co-opted by an area of 1.174ha in public land along the outskirts of mainstream religions (Verschuuren et al. 2012). There the villages on the southeastern bank of the perennial is a consequent mixing of religious and other spiritual or Parang Rivulet. It represents a 200–250-year-old relict belief systems. Sacred groves are just one of the many forest patch consistng of evergreen, deciduous and domains where religions or belief systems interact with semi-deciduous plants. Afer the day of annual ‘Paus nature. Many sacred groves have been well protected Sankrant’ (a ritual celebrated on the last day of the over tme and have seen litle disturbance. Many are Bengali Month Paus or middle of January) local people, demonstrably high in biodiversity and represent a strong both tribals and non-tribals of Joypur and adjoining biodiversity conservaton opportunity (Park 2002). Sinhajora villages, visit the grove and worship the deity. Sacred groves also represent ancient and profound Since the grove is an abode of the deity, the entre area cultural values. The roles of sacred grove custodians along with plants and other life forms is considered from indigenous, local community and mainstream sacred. Owing to this socio-cultural tag on the grove, religions are expressions of dedicated cultural eforts local people do not cut or disturb the grove fora, thus that cared for nature in various ways (Wild et al. 2008). strictly adhering to the taboos and ethics. Sacred groves are linked to livelihoods in many ways and the concepts of cultural services and human well-being Survey methods are associated with them (Gadgil & Vartak 1975; Butler The study area was thoroughly surveyed from the & Oluoch-Kosura 2006). year 2011 to 2017 in diferent seasons to identfy the The importance of sacred groves in conservaton of foral wealth and ethnobotanical characteristcs of biodiversity has recently gained wide acceptance; hence, angiosperm plants. Phytosociology data were collected several studies have been carried out in India to assess by laying 10m x 10m quadrates for tree species, 5m the biodiversity of the groves. Despite the vast and x 5m for shrubs and lianas, 1m x 1m for herbs and varied fora in southern West Bengal of eastern India, grasses. A brief foristc survey was carried out through informaton on the biodiversity of the sacred groves is “spot identfcaton” basis. Samples of plants with stll limited and only a few studies have been done to fowers or fruits were collected. Afer collecton, the understand the phytodiversity of the region (Sen 2016). specimens were processed, preserved, poisoned and Based on this premise, this paper discusses mounted on herbarium sheets following the standard how people ethos, local norms and belief systems and modern herbarium techniques (Jain & Rao 1977). surrounding plants, deites and forests in a tribal belt Photographs were taken of some of the common, locally Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2019 | 11(3): 13350–13359 13351 Sacred groves in West Bengal Uday C A B D E Figure 1. The study area: A -India, B - West Midnapore