Environment protection: SC issues directions for preservation of 'sacred groves'

Lauding Rajasthan's Piplantri village initiative of planting 111 trees for every girl child born, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to create a comprehensive policy for governance and management of community-protected forests known as sacred groves.

"The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is recommended to create a comprehensive policy for the governance and management of sacred groves across the country," a Bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice SVN Bhatti and Justice Sandeep Mehta said.

“As part of the policy, the Ministry should also develop a plan for a nation-wide survey of sacred groves. The survey should identify their area, location and extend and clearly mark their boundaries. The boundaries shall remain flexible to accommodate natural growth, while ensuring strict protection against any reduction in size due to agricultural activities, human habitation, deforestation, etc,” it said.

Highlighting the ecological and cultural importance of the sacred groves, the top court recommended their protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, particularly through Section 36-C, which allows for declaration of "community reserves".

It directed the Forest Department of Rajasthan to carry out detailed on-ground mapping and satellite mapping of each sacred grove, such as Orans, Dev-vans, Rundhs, or by any other name by which they are known in the respective area. It asked the state to complete the survey and notification of sacred groves/Orans in all districts and carry out detailed on-ground mapping of the identified groves and classify them as 'forests', as recommended in the Central Empowered Committee's June 1, 2005 report.

India was home to thousands of sacred groves, which were patches of forests or clusters of trees that held deep cultural or spiritual significance for the local communities that protected and sustained them, it noted.

Quoting from the Bhagwad Gita, the Bench said, "Nature is the source of all material things: the maker, the means of making, and the things made. Spirit is the source of all consciousness which feels pleasure and feels pain."

The directions came on a plea raising concerns over the sacred groves in Rajasthan.

The top court said it was necessary to propose certain suggestions to promote the sustainable conservation of the sacred groves and empower the communities associated with their protection.

It directed the Rajasthan government to identify traditional communities that have historically protected the sacred groves and designate these areas as "community forest resource" under Section 2(a) of the Forest Rights Act.

Lauding the "Piplantri model" created in a village in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district, the Bench said it showed how environmental protection, gender equality and economic growth could work together to change communities.

The tragic passing of a girl child of the sarpanch prompted the movement in the village which had until then witnessed environmental damages due to excessive marble mining. The mining activity led to acute water shortages, deforestation and economic decline.

The court noted the community, led by its sarpanch, introduced a practice of planting 111 trees for every girl born and the initiative transformed not only the village's landscape but also the nearby areas.

"This phenomenal effort also gave positive impetus to the efforts for reducing societal biases against women," it said.

The bench said the Piplantri model has had many positive outcomes and environmentally, over 40 lakh trees were planted, which helped in raising the water table by 800-900 feet and cooled the climate by about three to four degrees Celsius.

Socially, the model helped eliminate harmful practices like female foeticide, it said.

"The village now has a rare distinction of a higher female population ratio, i.e., 52 per cent and ensures that all girls receive education," it said, adding the Piplantri village example demonstrated how community-driven initiatives could effectively address social, economic and environmental challenges in a cohesive manner.