ABSTRACT
Sacred trees, groves and forests exist all over the world, have been important to people for thousands of years, are protected, have strict rules of use and contribute to rural livelihoods. The conservation movement has tended to downplay the importance of sacred trees and groves. Most sacred forests predate government conservation, but due to increasing pressures many groves are under threat. Forest and conservation authorities should increase support for their conservation and management. Likewise most mainstream religions could re-evaluate their relationship to trees and sacred nature because their managing institutions can provide important support for our natural and spiritual heritage. This calls for greater inter- and intra-faith harmony, and reaching out to the environmental movement.
