Sacred Groves Management in Odisha

1. Sacred Groves Management in Odisha AnanyaBehera & Mihir Kumar Jena Odisha Environment Congress 2011

2. Sacred Groves Sacred Groves and Sacred Patches are socio ecological complexes Cognitive thinking towards Nature is the main attribute for maintenance and management Sacred groves centers of cultural and religious life - social and cultural resources In Odisha several tribal communities have been maintaining sacred groves

3. Sacred Groves – finest instances of conservation practice • As refugia provides micro-habitat for keystone resources • Cultural cradle of biodiversity and eco-cultural landscapes • Traditional restrains guarding against resource depletion • A good example of traditional form of forest preservation – Brandis, 1897 • Rules are bound to be arbitrary, implemented on the basis of magico-religious sanctions and social conventions

4. Traditional management and social capital Customary institutions as a form of social capital matter in the management of collective resources e.g. sacred groves and forests These institutions are local equivalents of rules of law as they are tied to local notions of identity High level of cohesion and traditional norms among the community members is a success factor Community management is assumed to be form of enhanced local participation Endowment of community social capital play vital role in determining success or failure of management

5. Some observations Sacred groves as part of forests have their place in shared knowledge, religious practices, economic welfare and custom of tribal people Community social capital bonded by trust have maintained the repository of endemic biodiversity For better management and development of such regenerative resources building and linking social capitals are equally important The stock of social capital and their mutual interaction is needed for better management of such sacred forests and the biodiversity within, and hence should be promoted

6. Thank You