Sacred groves and riparian conservation: nature-based solutions towards local climate adaptation in the Malabar Coast of India

Anjana Bhagyanathan and Deepak Dhayanithy

Landscape Research, 2025, vol. 50, issue 4, 598-621

Abstract: Sacred groves are culturally protected forest fragments that are considered numinous by local communities and found all over the globe. In the densely populated Malabar Coast of India, Indigenous ecological knowledge admonishes that sacred groves not be disturbed, lest fresh water sources run dry. This paper develops the significance of the spatial distribution of sacred groves and its implications in climate change adaptation as nature-based solutions. We employ literature review, field surveys, first-hand observations and spatial analysis of 392 sacred groves to understand spatial patterns of sacred groves in the context of the drainage-recharge patterns of the region. The finding that sacred groves are located proximal to the stream network has parallels with riparian vegetation conservation. These forest patches are conserved through faith systems, rooted in Indigenous ecological knowledge. It underlines the importance of policy interventions to protect sacred groves that currently lack legal backing for conservation.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/01426397.2025.2452439

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