Sacred Groves of Western Ghats: An Ethno-Based Biodiversity Conservation Strategy

Abstract ....................................................................................................308 12.1 Introduction .....................................................................................308 12.2 What Are Sacred Groves? ...............................................................309 12.3 Sacred Groves of Western Peninsular India ....................................310 12.4 Maintenance and Conservation of Sacred Groves by

Traditional Communities ................................................................ 311 12.5 Impact of Traditional Conservation of Sacred Groves ...................312 12.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................313 Keywords .................................................................................................314 References ................................................................................................314

K. V. KRISHNAMURTHY1 and S. JOHN ADAMS2