: In Punjab, sacred forests are shrinking due to encroachments and invasive species #IndiaNEWS Only a smidge of Punjab’s geographical area is forested. Nurtured by people’s beliefs in these small

In Punjab, sacred forests are shrinking due to encroachments and invasive species #IndiaNEWS
Only a smidge of Punjab’s geographical area is forested. Nurtured by people’s beliefs in these small forest patches are sacred groves – forest fragments that, apart from serving as places of community worship, are mini-ecosystems that house several native plants and animals.These green pockets, often associated with a local deity, are epitomes of Punjab’s microclimates and cultures that accord a great deal of importance to trees. Local legends and tales, that help prevent erosion of biodiversity, abound in these assemblages hosting bats, reptiles, birds, insects and micro-organisms.For example, while vann (Salvadora oleoides) is the primary species in Bhiana Sahib sacred grove in the Malwa region, it is the dhak or the flame of the forest (Butea monosperma) in the Dhaki Sahib sacred grove. Nestled in the Western Himalayan foothills in the state’s Pathankot district is the Chatpat Bani – a forest which according to local lore is believed to have come up overnight, hence the name “chatpat�? or fast. Local communities refrain from using the wood in this 30-acre forest. They believe they will be cursed.However, experts and local communities have expressed concerns over these shrinking green assemblages pitted against agricultural expansion, overgrazing and proliferation of monoculture plantations. Compounding this unfettered human...Read more

Latest stock market news Twitter alternate of India

10% popularity Flash it Bury this