By H Lato
Conservation of nature and natural resources has been an integral part of the cultural ethos of tribal communities in Meghalaya. The tribal communities particularly in Jaintia Hills, who practise indigenous faith known as ‘Niamtre’, have protected and conserved several tracts of forests for religious and cultural belief.
The Jaintia Hills is home to several such undisturbed virgin forests commonly known as ‘sacred groves’. The ‘Niamtre’ faithful believe that their deity ‘Ryngkaw’ or ‘Wasa’ that guards them from natural calamities and diseases as well as provide for their well-being resides in these forests.
The Niamtre faithful believe that felling of trees, removal of fruits, seeds or causing damage of any nature to these forests or even plucking a leaf, except for the religious rituals, will offend the deity and will bring ill luck to the offender and also to the entire village. People are forbidden to carry leather articles, liquor, tobacco and any other intoxicating materials inside a sacred grove to maintain its purity. Some of these forests are so sacred that one is required to remove shoes before entering the forests.
The ‘Niamtre’ perform various religious rituals and sacrifices in community reserves. As a mark of respect to the distinguished religious leaders and warriors, rock memorials have also been erected in some of the sacred groves. For ‘Niamtre’ sacred groves have the same significance as a temple, a mosque and a church has for the Hindus, Muslims and Christians, respectively.
The sacred forests or community forests, which have remained undistributed for centuries, are repositories of rich biodiversity. These are the last refuge for a large number of endemic, endangered, rare and relic native taxa. Sacred groves are the last bastion where rich culture and customs of indigenous people are still preserved. Sacred groves are a living example of the strong symbiotic relationship between forests and local tribal communities in Meghalaya.
With the passage of time and gradual subordination of spiritual, cultural and religious beliefs by materialistic needs, the beliefs which helped in preservation of sacred groves are eroding. The gradual erosion of these beliefs is resulting in degradation and shrinkage of several sacred groves.
The absence of a proper regulatory and funding mechanism for conservation, protection and scientific management has further accelerated the process of degradation of sacred groves. Vanishing of species in many of these sacred groves due to different anthropogenic disturbances like alteration of natural habitat, excessive utilisation, pollution and invasion of non-native species is so fast that many precious taxa may disappear even before they are identified, properly documented and their scientific, cultural, therapeutic and commercial values are discovered.
The amendment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in 2003 came as a boon for conservation of sacred groves. Section 36C inserted in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, by the said amendment provides for notification of the sacred groves and such other similar community-owned areas having high conservation and cultural significance as community reserve.
Section 36D inserted in the Act in 2003 provides for preparation and implementation of management plan and to take steps to ensure protection of wildlife and its habitat in the community reserve by a Community Reserve Management Committee consisting of five representatives nominated by the gram sabha or village level committee and one representative of the State Forest Department under whose jurisdiction the community reserve is located.
The insertion of clause (24A) in Section 2 of the Wildlife Act to define ‘Protected Areas’ and inclusion of community reserve in the said definition paved the way for funding by the central government under the centrally-sponsored scheme ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat’ and by the state government under various state sector schemes for conservation and scientific management of community reserves.
With the persuasion from the Forests and Environment Department, the local communities came forward to allow the state government to notify 69 biodiversity rich community owned areas more than 6,200 hectare in extent as community reserves in Meghalaya. Of these, 16 community reserves are located in Jaintia Hills. Many such potential and suitable areas are proposed to be notified as community reserve. Majority of these areas, which have already been notified or are proposed to be notified as community reserve, are sacred groves.
The Forests and Environment Department in consultation with local communities have prepared management plan for scientific management and conservation of the notified community reserves.
With the funds available under various state and central sector schemes, the Forests and Environment Department has undertaken various activities in community reserves. These activities include boundary demarcation by erection of boundary pillars and construction of footpaths, check dams or water holes, tourist view points, public toilets, rain shelters, cloak rooms, shoe rakes, community halls-cum-nature interpretation centres.
Restocking of blank and degraded areas by aided natural regeneration and planting of native species have also been undertaken in some of the community reserves. Benches for visitors, swings and seesaws have also been provided in some of the community reserves. Renovation of places of worship located in some of these sacred groves has also been undertaken.
Majority of land in Meghalaya is owned by communities and private individuals. The state, therefore, has a limited scope for expansion of Protected Area Network by notification of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Notification of biodiversity rich sacred groves and such other community owned rich habitats of wildlife as community reserve is the only hope for expansion of Protected Area Network in the state.
The Forests and Environment Department is taking all possible measures to persuade the communities to allow the state government to notify rich habitats of wildlife as community reserves. As we have seen, progress so far is encouraging. The department with proactive cooperation and participation of local communities is taking measures for protection, conservation and scientific management of areas which have already been notified as community reserves.
(The author is Divisional Forest Officer, Jaintia Hills Wildlife Division, Jowai)
Photo by author