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Biocultural conservation in the sacred forests of Odisha, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2020

Antaryami Pradhan Open the ORCID record for Antaryami Pradhan [Opens in a new window]  and
Alison A Ormsby Open the ORCID record for Alison A Ormsby [Opens in a new window]
Antaryami Pradhan*
Affiliation:
AIPH University, City Campus – Pahala, Bhubaneswar – 752101, Odisha, India School of Life Sciences, Sambalpur University, Odisha768019, India
Alison A Ormsby
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina Asheville, Environmental Studies, One University Heights, Asheville, NC28804, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Antaryami Pradhan, Email: [email protected]
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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.

Keywords

biodiversity conservationcommunity-based conservationcultural ecosystem servicesethnographic researchpilgrimagesacred forestsacred grovetemple forest
Type
Research Paper
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 47 , Issue 3 , September 2020 , pp. 190 - 196
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Foundation for Environmental Conservation

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