Biodiversity Storehouses and Showcases of Sacred Natural Sites for Nature Conservation and Climate Change Mitigation

Abstract

Sacred Natural Sites (SNS) are parts of land or water that have spiritual significance for specific communities which are often hotspots of cultural, and biological diversity. Using various indigenous means, SNS provide cheap and effective protection of natural resources. It represent the world’s oldest protected areas. SNS have served as important reservoirs or storehouses of biological diversity, preserving unique and/or rare plants and animal species. They tend to harbour rich in species of biodiversity, and occasionally provide more effective conservation than formal protected areas. So SNS are considered showcases for the conservation of biological and cultural diversity in nature. These lead to their role in biodiversity conservation and provide ecosystem services, conservation d and sources of medicinal plant, water and climate regulation, support nutrient cycling and soil formation, and cultural services like spiritual, religious and sense of place. Beyond conservation, SNS as nodes of resilience, restoration and adaptation to climate change. Moreover they are a paradigmatic example of community-based conservation that relies upon local people’s understanding and involvement of natural resources. Despite the effectiveness of many community managed SNS, their values have until recently largely been ignored by conservation practitioners. Because of the increasing human activities pressure on natural resources including within them, it is a race against time to secure them before they disappear.