Abstract
Phytodiversity survey of sacred groves was carried out for a period of two years (2016-2018) in Bhadrak district of Odisha, India. A total of 42 plant species belonging to 39 genera under 26 families are recorded from 20 selected sacred groves of the district. Moraceae represents the dominant family. The respondents affirmed that the plants inside these sites are never cut or harmed and some plant like neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.), banyan (Ficus benghalensis L.) and peepal (Ficus religiosa L.) present in the sacred groves are more than a century old. The present study indicates the role of sacred groves in biodiversity conservation through faith, belief, religious activity and community participation
Highlights
Biodiversity is rich at many places in India beyond the designated officially protected areas due to some religious beliefs and taboos [1]
It was believed to be the abode of certain deity, worshiped by the village priest
Prohibition of killing animals and cuttingdown trees, except when wood is needed for the religious purposes like construction and repair of temple buildings, and temple rituals in the sacred groves of Bhadrak district substantiate the findings of earlier studies [22, 29]
Summary
Biodiversity is rich at many places in India beyond the designated officially protected areas due to some religious beliefs and taboos [1]. These sacred groves naturally are rich sources of rare and endemic plants of the concerned region [9, 10]. There are several studies carried out in different parts of the country [13,14,15] to assess the role of sacred groves in conservation of flora of the concerned region.
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