Shillong, Dec 19: The Supreme Court’s call for a comprehensive national policy to govern and manage community-protected forests, known as sacred groves, holds immense significance for Meghalaya.
A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai, S.V.N. Bhatti, and Sandeep Mehta emphasized that India is home to thousands of sacred groves—patches of forests or clusters of trees imbued with deep cultural and spiritual significance. These groves are safeguarded and sustained by local communities.
The court’s ruling came in response to a plea concerning the protection of sacred groves in Rajasthan. However, its implications extend across India, particularly to Meghalaya, where sacred groves play a vital role in environmental conservation and cultural heritage.
Meghalaya’s scenic landscape is dotted with undisturbed, virgin forest patches, preserved for centuries by local tribal communities for religious and cultural practices. These sacred groves provide essential ecosystem services such as reducing soil erosion, maintaining the hydrological cycle, ensuring access to uncontaminated water, and enabling natural seed dispersal. They also promote biodiversity, curb habitat destruction, and conserve populations of pollinators and predators.
Local communities in Meghalaya recognize these groves by various names, including Law Lyngdoh, Law Niam, Khloo Blai, Law Kyntang, and Kosi, depending on their location. Despite their ecological and cultural value, these groves face mounting threats from climate change and human activities, necessitating immediate protection.
The Meghalaya Forest Department has already appealed to the Centre to designate these groves as community reserves. The department has sought Rs 24.74 crore in assistance to conserve and enhance the climate resilience of the groves.
“Notification of these sacred grove areas as a Community Reserve will accord legal recognition and protection. It will also make them eligible to receive financial assistance under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats”—states a report on the Forest Inventory of Sacred Groves in Meghalaya (Volume – III), released today by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
The report underscores the urgency of declaring these forest areas as Community Reserves under Section 38C of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This section empowers state governments to declare private or community land as a Community Reserve, provided local communities volunteer to conserve the area’s wildlife and habitat. This designation applies to lands not classified as National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, or Conservation Reserves.
The proposal aligns with the goals of the National Forest Policy, 1988, which aims to bring at least 33% of India’s geographical area and 60% of the total area in hilly states like Meghalaya under forest or tree cover. “Protecting and improving sacred groves and other community and clan-owned forests is crucial to achieving these goals amidst various ecological and anthropogenic threats,” the report highlights.
With the Supreme Court’s push for a national policy and Meghalaya’s proactive efforts to safeguard sacred groves, there is hope for stronger protection of these vital community-protected forests that are crucial for biodiversity, cultural heritage, and climate resilience.
