From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, May 1: Goa's unique sacred groves has got a formal recognition in the draft state Forest Policy, which is currently kept open in public domain for suggestions.
The new forest policy speaks of forest department helping the local institutions in the management of these sacred groves, which are protected by them for centuries, because of the religious sentiments attached to it.
Sacred Groves, locally known as Devchirai (the forest of God), has been protected by the local temple institutions across the talukas of Sattari and Sanguem, which are located on the foothills of Western Ghat.
It is a tradition of community conservation carried out in the name of the local deity.
“Goa has a rich tradition of maintaining the Sacred Groves mainly because of beliefs and traditions attached with these places. These needs to be documented and protected,” the forest policy reads.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Shashi Kumar told PTI that the forest department will help the local institutions to manage these spaces, which has the rich cover of medicinal plants and other species.
He said that the policy does not speak of talking over these places but instead department through its social forestry division will help the local institutions to maintain them.
State’s renowned environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said that sacred groves are `very old nature sanctuaries where not only living but also non-living beings are afforded protection through the grace of any one deity or spirit from traditions’.
“Once through various taboos related with them, the sacred groves have been completely or nearly completely immune from human interference on grounds of religious beliefs,” he said.
Kerkar said that there are many instances of the occurrence of rare plant species in the grove. “In the Devachirai of Derode, Sattari magnificent specimens of Dhup tree (canarium strictum) are well preserved by the local community,” he added.
He said that some groves are spread over 10 acres of area in the places like Keri, Karanzol and Verlem. “Many of these groves fall in wildlife sanctuaries,” Kerkar said.