Biocultural conservation in the sacred forests of Odisha, India

Abstract

Summary Biocultural and indigenous approaches to conservation, such as the sacred forests of India, are increasingly being recognized and valued. At these sites, the ecological aspects as well as the local community management and cultural significance of the landscape contribute to conservation success. From 2012 to 2015, we investigated five sacred forests in western Odisha (India) that varied in size from 1 to 1000 ha. Through interviews with 81 residents, we explored the types of groves, their use and management approaches. We investigated levels of grove disturbance and plant use with botanical survey methods. Some groves experience pressures from annual pilgrimage visitors, and we documented the relative impacts of pilgrims and other activities using ethnographic methods. Community participation or management by the Forest Department alone has not been completely effective in conserving these sacred natural sites; however, collaborative work can contribute to successful conservation. Continued community involvement is key to future biodiversity conservation in the sacred groves.

Integrating biocultural conservation and sociocultural valuation in the management of sacred forests: What values are important to the public?

“…Most of the values and practices identified via the biocultural approach to conservation are associated with forest landscapes with sacred status (Pradhan & Ormsby, 2020;Sharma & Kumar, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, sociocultural valuation can be a suitable technique to achieve biocultural conservation objectives. Both sociocultural valuation and biocultural conservation are increasingly recognised as important approaches with great potential to conserve informally protected forests with sacred status (Bernués et al, 2014; Pradhan & Ormsby, 2020).…”

“…Most of the values and practices identified via the biocultural approach to conservation are associated with forest landscapes with sacred status (Pradhan & Ormsby, 2020; Sharma & Kumar, 2021). Sacred forests are cultural landscapes that are protected primarily because of their cultural values, religious functions, traditional importance and symbolic identity (Irakiza et al, 2016; Ormsby & Bhagwat, 2010).…”

Traditional agricultural management of Kam Sweet Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in southeast Guizhou Province, China

“…Yang et al [13] studied Hani terraced fields in Yunnan, China, and found that Hani communities effectively resolved the challenges of uneven distributions of water resources through their traditional water resource management system, which represents a significant local response to climate change that promotes sustainable agricultural development. Pradhan et al [14] showed that the traditional management of sacred forests is compatible with the local culture in Odisha, India, and effectively protects cultural diversity and biodiversity. In recent years, reports have been produced on home garden agroecosystem management [15] and forage resource management [16], and the role of culture in these traditional ecosystem management systems has been extensively studied.…”

Litterfall, Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Sacred Forests of Western Odisha, India.

“…The sacred forests of Odisha represent relatively undisturbed vegetation due to protection by indigenous communities for religious and spiritual values. These sacred forests with rich biodiversity have a stable ecosystem and are considered as biocultural conservation centers (Pradhan and Ormsby 2020). But the ecosystem functioning of the sacred forests in the state of Odisha representing the tropical dry deciduous forest has not been thoroughly studied in terms of litter production and decomposition.…”