Sacred groves are patches of vegetation that are revered. They are of immense ecological and cultural significance. Supreme Court wants a plan to map and manage the sacred groves. But history shows they are better preserved by local communities with deep links to them. Nanditha Krishna In December 2024, the Supreme Court directed the Rajasthan government to map, identify and formally notify orans or sacred groves as ‘deemed forests’. It recommended a nationwide policy for their protection and management by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change by being designated as ‘community reserves’ under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The court stressed the importance of mapping sacred groves across the country, emphasising that they are not just tracts of land but areas of immense ecological and cultural significance. Sacred groves are areas of ecological significance where local communities have traditionally protected floral and faunal...
