In many parts of India, entering a forest once meant entering the home of a deity.

It also meant stepping onto land where a tree could not be cut, an animal could not be hunted and, in some places, even fallen wood could not be taken away.

The rules were rarely written down. Instead, they travelled through stories, rituals, festivals and warnings passed from one generation to the next.

Today, scientists have another vocabulary for these places: biodiversity refuges, carbon stores, water catchments and ecological corridors.

India has another, older vocabulary.

Devarakadu in Karnataka. Kavu in Kerala. Oran in Rajasthan. Sarna or Jaherthan in Jharkhand. Law Kyntang in Meghalaya. Umang Lai in Manipur. Dev Van in Himachal Pradesh.

Different landscapes and different communities, but a shared idea: some forests are not ours to use freely.

As forests are increasingly fragmented for roads, infrastructure and other forms of development, that old idea is finding new relevance.

A forest with a boundary you cannot always see

Sacred groves are patches of natural vegetation protected by communities because of their religious, cultural or spiritual significance. They can range from a handful of trees to village forests spread across several hectares.

The rules vary from place to place. In some groves, cutting trees and hunting are completely prohibited. Elsewhere, communities may collect honey, medicinal plants or deadwood under customary rules.

Because they are often less disturbed than surrounding landscapes, these groves can preserve native plants and animals that have disappeared elsewhere. Their tree cover can also help reduce soil erosion, retain moisture and support groundwater recharge.

In dry landscapes, sacred commons can provide communities with grazing land, fodder and water.

In other words, a centuries-old cultural practice can also protect an ecosystem — and that ecosystem, in turn, continues to support the community.

The scale of this tradition, however, is difficult to pin down.

The CPR Environmental Education Centre has documented thousands of sacred groves across India. Its records list 13,270 groves, while older estimates suggest the actual number could be much higher. CPREEC itself notes that its documentation is not necessarily a final count and continues to work on their conservation and restoration.

That uncertainty matters.

Sacred groves are not always........

© The Better India