BHUBANESWAR: Close to 11,000 sacred groves - integral to Odisha’s 62 tribal communities and 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) - are getting a new lease of life. Not only are they being safeguarded from encroachers but also conserved to protect the tribal heritage and culture.
These miniature patches of forest land, often brimming with biodiversity, are traditionally dedicated to deities that tribals worship. While ethnic groups have differently named their groves, these vary in size, location and natural characteristics. Over the years, though, many were lying in utter neglect.
The ST & SC Development department through its special development councils (SDCs) is now revamping the sacred groves and shrine crafts besides settling the land rights of the same in favour of tribal communities concerned under the community forest rights (CFR), if not done so far.
As a part of the conservation process, boundary walls are being constructed around the groves and also structures like mandaps to house the area to be used for religious offerings. This is not just protecting the entire grove ecosystem but also safekeeping its elements from stray cattle and encroachment by people.
Environmental expert Bijaya Mishra said the conservation had become the need of the hour as sacred groves are repositories of gene pools and act as reservoirs of biological diversity. “These are integral to tribals since ancient times, and in many places appear as ‘climax forests’ which harbour varieties of flora and fauna,’ he said and added the groves may be serving the function of preservation of biological diversity to more than two and even more species of endangered tree species.
In the nine old SDC districts like Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh, protection of 10,599 sacred groves have been taken up and 5,712 are already complete. In the 14 newly-inducted districts, 584 such groves have been taken up. The primary nine SDC districts have included all the 117 blocks under them, there are 58 blocks from the 14 new districts included in the SDC list.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary, ST&SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department Roopa Roshan Sahoo said Odisha has become a leading state in the entire country in terms of conservation of tribal heritage, culture, traditions and languages and SDCs have been doing exemplary work. “The sacred groves have become a thrust area not only to help relive a tradition, but to conserve an age-old ecosystem for the tribal people across the State and conserve biodiversity,” she added.
In 2017, the government started commissioning the SDCs in nine tribal dominated districts where more than 45 per cent of the population is tribal. The SDCs are aimed at development of tribal culture for retaining the unique identity. Last year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared inclusion of 14 more districts under the SDC fold.
