Sacred Groves: Traditional Way of Conserving Plant Diversity in Block Bhalwal of Jammu District (J & K)

Sacred groves are patches of native vegetation traditionally protected by local communities and are significant examples of in situ biodiversity conservation. The Present study was conducted in 16 sacred groves, distributed over nine villages of Bhalwal block in Jammu district (J& K), with the objective of studying diversity of trees species in these sacred groves and role played by them in biodiversity conservation. During the study a total of 54 tree species belonging to 42 genera and 25 families were found in these sacred groves. Fabaceae was the dominant family followed by Moraceae. The IVI was found highest for Mangifera indica (36.159) followed by Ficus benghalensis (35.379). The overall tree diversity in sacred groves calculated by Shannon Weiner index was found to be 3.43. This study also highlighted the various threats faced by the sacred groves like construction activities, grazing of live stocks and modernization.