The government has carried out inventorisation of 40 sacred groves and phyto-diversity characterisation of several sacred groves in Meghalaya. Around Rs 2 crore has been spent on this.
This was informed by Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav in the Lok Sabha last week in reply to a question by Shillong MP Vincent H. Pala.
Pala had asked as to whether any study has been undertaken by the government to assess the potential of sacred groves in creating a sustainable future.
Yadav said that in the last eight to nine years, the studies undertaken and completed for sacred groves in Meghalaya include inventorisation (Growing Stock Assessment) of 40 sacred groves; phyto-diversity and phyto-sociological characterisation of ten sacred groves having an area of 216.76 hectares; preparation of management plans of twelve sacred groves and boundary survey for 133 sacred groves.
He also said that Rs 30 lakh was spent on the inventorisation (Growing Stock Assessment) of 40 sacred groves project in 2013-14 and Rs 40 lakh was spent on boundary survey for 133 sacred groves in 2013-14; Rs 9.36 lakh for the same in 2014-15 and Rs 10.50 lakh in 2019-20.
The minister also said that Rs 20 lakh was spent on phyto-diversity and phyto-sociological characterisation of ten sacred groves having an area of 216.76 hectares in 2014-15 which was carried out by the Department of Environmental Studies NEHU, Shillong.
He also informed that the amount spent for wildlife conservation activities in the sacred groves notified as community reserve was Rs 101.59 lakh between 2013-2021.
Yadav informed that sacred groves are community conserved land parcels with rich biodiversity, which usually have a significant religious connotation for protecting the community and can be notified as Community Conserved Areas under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and Biodiversity Heritage Sites under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
