Tibetan sacred sites conserve old growth trees and cover in the eastern Himalayas

Abstract

Khawa Karpo, in the eastern Himalayas, is a mountain considered sacred throughout Tibet, and is internationally recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. Numerous areas within this landscape are considered 'sacred' by the indigenous Tibetans of the region, who interact with these sites in ways potentially beneficial to conservation. Our previous remote sensing study indicated that sacred sites are found in habitats with greater species richness, diversity, and endemism than randomly selected non-sacred sites. This study examines the role of sanctity in biodiversity conservation within habitats in the Khawa Karpo region by pairing plots within the same habitats in sacred and non-sacred areas. Understory richness, diversity, cover, and number of useful species are measured; for trees, richness, diversity, cover, and density are measured. Results indicate that within habitats sanctity does not affect understory plant communities; however, within sacred areas trees are larger ( p = 0.003) and forests have greater cover ( p = 0.003) than non-sacred areas. Our results indicate that, whereas placement of sacred areas and preservation of vegetation cover affects useful plants, biodiversity and endemism, within habitats sacred sites preserve old growth trees and forest structure. In sum, Tibetan sacred sites are ecologically unique and important for conservation on varying scales of landscape, community, and species.Abbreviations: GIS -geographical information systems; dbh -diameter at breast height

Tibetan Sacred Sites: Understanding the Traditional Management System and Its Role in Modern Conservation

“…Tibetan sacred sites, as a form of Community Conserved Area (CCAs; Oviedo 2006, Smyth 2006, have been effectively protected by local people and function to protect threatened species, biodiversity, and ecosystem services (Anderson et al 2005, Zou et al 2005, Salick et al 2007, Xiang et al 2008. In terms of access and utilization, Tibetan sacred sites were comparable to several IUCN protected area categories (IUCN 1994): Forbidden areas and sacred lakes with strict prohibitions are analogous to Category I (Strict nature reserve and wilderness areas); sacred mountains could be allocated into Categories II (National park), V (Protected landscape), or VI (Managed resource protected area), depending on how strictly the traditional regulations are executed; and monasteries and sacred relics are consistent with the definition of Category III (Natural monument).…”

“…In western China, Tibetan sacred sites have been worshiped and protected for centuries, as part of the Tibetan Buddhist practices influenced by Bon, a pre-Buddhist religion in Tibet (Feng 2005, Salick et al 2007). Tibetan sacred sites are the abode of, or associated with, deities, nature spirits, and spiritual leaders (Jamtso 2005).…”

“…The significance of Tibetan sacred sites in conservation centers on their widespread distribution (Xu et al 2005, Shen et al 2007) and their function in conserving both mature forest (Zou et al 2005, Salick et al 2007, Xiang et al 2008) and threatened species (Anderson et al 2005). Nevertheless, our knowledge on the spatial distribution and management of Tibetan sacred sites is still poor.…”

“…Previous studies are mostly conceptual discussions on the relationship between cultural practices and environmental protection (Li et al 2008). Field-based studies focused on measuring biodiversity within Tibetan sacred sites (Anderson et al 2005, Zou et al 2005, Salick et al 2007, Xiang et al 2008 and not management structure.…”

Survey on Indigenous Food Plants of Kaya Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero in Kilifi County Kenya

“…There is an increasingly important role of Food Plants in forest regeneration, community developments, species diversity and ecosystem-level processes, particularly in the tropics [9][10]. Numerous areas within this landscape are considered to be sacred by the indigenous people of the region, who interact with these sites in ways potentially beneficial to conservation.…”