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

Explanation

Sacred Groves- They are patches of forest around the places of worship where the use of axe and sickle or not allowed by the worhipers.In kumaon area ,temples are generally surrounded by deodar groves.In Meghalaya ,forest of jaintia and khasi hills are preserved on similar grounds.Sacred forests are also occur in karnataka,Maharashtra,Kerala and other parts.
Role in Conservation-Sacred groves jave been free from all types of exploitation.They,therefore often possess endemic taxa,rare and endangered species which have been lost from the surrounding areas.