What are sacred groves? What is their role in conservation?

Explanation

(i) The forest conserved in the name of God and considered to be sacred is called as sacred grove.
(ii) Sacred groves are in fact .Sanctuaries. conserved by the society and not by the government forest department.
(iii) As they have been conserved in the name of god, they have special protection.
(iv) These clusters of thick forests are present not only in Western Ghats of India but in the entire country.
(v) More than 1300 sacred groves have been reported in India.
(vi) They are called .Deorai. in local language and because of God, people do not cut the trees. This helps in their conservation.