journalINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH SCISVolume 6 Issue 3MultidisciplinaryEnglish2024NNY20240618ArticleSACRED GROVES OF INDIA: BASTIONS OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN A CHANGING WORLDEnglishY17IvanAranhaEnglishN10.47062/1190.0603.01With 24% of its land area covered by forests, India ranks tenth in the world in terms of total forest area, making up 2% of the world's total. India, home to 1.428 billion people, faces the difficult task of maintaining its unique wilderness to safeguard biodiversity. The main causes of the decline in biodiversity are human activities associated with the utilization of forest resources. One of the seventeen countries with the highest level of biodiversity, India uses three different land management strategies to conserve its natural resources: biosphere reserves, which include protected areas, adjacent forest areas, and rivers, protected areas (like National Parks and Sanctuaries), and private lands (like agricultural lands and community conservation areas like sacred groves). Forest patches preserved for cultural and religious purposes are known as sacred groves. These forest fragments, numbering over 100,000, are revered as sacred spaces that serve as critical refuges for biodiversity. This article delves into the profound significance of sacred groves, highlighting their contribution to conservation, the escalating threats they face from modernization and resource demands, and the urgent need for robust management strategies to ensure their continued protection.EnglishBiodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystem services, Inda, Protected Areas, Sacred forestshttps://journal.stenvironment.org/abstract?id=227References1619