Unveiling Maharashtra's Hidden Sanctuaries: The Urgent Call to Protect Sacred Groves as 'Identified Forests'

Maharashtra's verdant landscapes hold a secret treasure: the sacred groves, locally known as 'devrai' or 'devrahat'. These ancient pockets of pristine forest, revered by communities for centuries, are not just ecological powerhouses brimming with unique biodiversity but also priceless repositories of cultural heritage.

Yet, despite their immense value, these sacred sites remain perilously vulnerable, lacking the robust legal protection they desperately need. This urgent predicament has prompted the environmental NGO Kalpavriksh to issue a fervent plea to the Maharashtra government: declare these sacred groves as 'identified forests' under the crucial Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980.

For too long, these hallowed woodlands have existed in a precarious legal grey area.

While the state boasts a database of over 16,000 sacred groves, their ownership and management status often remain ambiguous, making them easy targets for encroachment, degradation, and outright destruction. Kalpavriksh highlights that without formal recognition as "identified forests," these invaluable ecosystems are left exposed, unable to leverage the stringent protective measures enshrined in the FCA.

This Act mandates that any non-forest activity in an 'identified forest' requires explicit approval from the central government, a powerful deterrent against their misuse.

The call to action draws strength from the landmark 1996 Supreme Court ruling in the Godavarman case, which dramatically broadened the definition of 'forest'.

This ruling stipulated that any area recorded as forest in government records, or even areas bearing the physical characteristics of a forest, should be treated as such, regardless of their official classification. While this was a monumental step, many sacred groves, often located on revenue lands or privately owned parcels, still fall through the cracks, their 'forest' identity unacknowledged in official documents.

Kalpavriksh’s plea aims to rectify this oversight, bringing these vital green spaces firmly within the protective embrace of national forest laws.

The NGO's commitment to these groves is not new. Decades ago, in the 1980s, a pioneering study led by the late Professor Madhav Gadgil and Dr. V.D.

Karve identified an astonishing 1,300 sacred groves in Mulshi taluka alone, within Pune district. Sadly, many of these once-thriving groves have since faced significant degradation, a stark testament to the consequences of delayed protection. Despite the Maharashtra government having a policy on sacred groves, its implementation has been fragmented and largely ineffective in truly safeguarding these ecological gems.

The formal declaration as 'identified forests' would not only provide a legal shield but also pave the way for structured management and conservation efforts.

It would compel authorities to prevent the diversion of these lands for non-forest purposes and ensure their ecological integrity is preserved for generations to come. Kalpavriksh's impassioned appeal underscores a critical juncture for Maharashtra: to step forward and safeguard its natural and cultural heritage, ensuring that these mystical, life-giving sacred groves continue to thrive, not just as legends, but as living, protected ecosystems.

The time for decisive action is now.