RAS question
Sacred groves in India are significant for conservation because they:
Correct answer: (D) Preserve biodiversity through traditional community protection linked to religious beliefs.
Sacred groves in India conserve biodiversity because local communities traditionally protect these forest patches for their religious or spiritual significance.
Explanation
Sacred groves matter for conservation because their protection comes from community custom, not from being planted forests or ordinary state reserves. The Official Website of Meghalaya Biodiversity Board, Government of Meghalaya, India describes sacred groves as tracts of virgin forest with cultural or spiritual significance for nearby people, protected for reasons including religious practices and watershed value, with rich biodiversity protected as a result. In India, such groves are community-protected forest patches preserved because of religious or spiritual belief. Their significance is also practical: they conserve biodiversity, water sources and rare species, with examples spread across India, including Devvans, Orans, Sarnas, Kavu, Law Lyngdoh and Law Kyntang.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sacred groves are not confined to Northeast India; examples include Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Kerala and Meghalaya.
- (B) They are not artificial forests, since the Official Website of Meghalaya Biodiversity Board, Government of Meghalaya, India describes sacred groves as tracts of virgin forest protected because of cultural or spiritual significance.
- (C) They are not defined as government-managed reserves; they are protected by communities linked to religious or spiritual belief.
Concept
This tests in-situ biodiversity conservation through community traditions. RAS asks it because Rajasthan has Orans, making sacred groves a recurring bridge between ecology, culture and local conservation practice.