Joshi Devi Datt, Rana Virender Singh, Kharkwal Harendra
Amity Food and Agriculture Foundation, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, UP, India.
Amity Herbal Consortium, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 201313, UP, India.
Heliyon. 2023 Mar 21;9(4):e14619. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14619. eCollection 2023 Apr.
The long-lasting association of humans with the forest is directly linked to the livelihood of natives without cultures, traditions, and beliefs. A survey conducted for the phytodiversity of the sacred Thal Kedar forest, Uttarakhand, India, reveals it as a center of spiritual approach and controlled by moral values rather than regulatory norms for conservation and sustainable benefits. Detailed investigation via group discussions, key informant interviews, observation of participants, and secondary data collection deciphers that the sacred forest plays a potential role in the food and health of the people, both at the local and regional levels. In the present survey, we found that local people are effectively controlled and guided to use all resources through moral duty, beliefs, and worship rituals, an inherited practice for ecological protection, and honesty to the Deity. Forest tourism based on holy baths, a current social demand, has been emerging as a sustainable job for local youths but requires stringent parallel administrative supervision along the established social norms to avoid any materialistic mind deeds to the sacred forest. The impact of climate change and the shift of various species to higher elevations is a matter of advanced strategy to the policymakers to preserve the floristic diversity of the sacred Thal Kedar forest.
人类与森林的长期关联直接关乎那些没有文化、传统和信仰的原住民的生计。针对印度北阿坎德邦神圣的塔尔凯达尔森林的植物多样性开展的一项调查显示，它是一个精神归宿中心，由道德价值观而非保护及可持续利用的监管规范所支配。通过小组讨论、关键信息人访谈、对参与者的观察以及二手数据收集进行的详细调查表明，这片神圣森林在地方和区域层面上对人们的食物和健康都发挥着潜在作用。在本次调查中，我们发现当地人通过道德责任、信仰和崇拜仪式有效地受到约束和引导，从而利用所有资源，这是一种传承下来的生态保护做法，也是对神灵的虔诚。基于神圣沐浴的森林旅游作为当前的一种社会需求，已成为当地年轻人的一项可持续就业途径，但需要严格按照既定社会规范进行并行的行政监管，以避免对这片神圣森林有任何功利性的行为。气候变化的影响以及各种物种向更高海拔地区的迁移，是政策制定者为保护神圣的塔尔凯达尔森林的植物多样性而制定先进策略时需要考虑的问题。
