![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I study how modern culture is impacting the traditional system of biological conservation. In this study I examined three different questions: Who are the local deities connected with the groves and what stories do they provide? How do (or don’t) those stories encourage individual spiritual practices? How do (or don’t) those individual spiritual practices contribute to a culture of conservation in modern day Tamil Nadu? Using interviews from three documented sacred grove sites in Tamil Nadu, I examine the current belief systems regarding the “sacredness” of these groves. These three groves have been examined previously by ecologists for their local influence on ecological degradation, but have not been solely measured through their examined in terms of the traditional belief systems that sustain them. This is a study of three sacred grove sites in Tamil Nadu and traditions that sustain them, through the lens of Traditional Ecological Knowledge to better understand and explore the complex interconnected relationships at work. These traditions have evolved over thousands of years in a complex interplay between religion, culture, and indigenous technologies or “Traditional Ecological Knowledge” (TEK). In 1993, a survey performed by a local Indian NGO established different types of ecological heritage traditions in Tamil Nadu, India: one being the “Sacred groves” found outside villages. Most recently, the value of preserving forests and “sacred groves” is recognized and advocated for by organizations such as the United Nations Environmental Protection, and the Office of Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity. The concept of “sacred groves” has existed in multiple cultures in various religious and spiritual forms throughout history. ![]()
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