**5. Main objectives of communities involved**

Communities embodied a wide range of objectives for which they ultimately conserve biodiversity. It is not necessary that Biodiversity conservation is the main objective behind the action. Some of the objectives of the communities involved are as under [23]:


safeguard them, the community conservation is initiated. Examples: Chipko movement (against timber logging) in Uttarakhand and Mendha village (against dams and paper mill) in Maharashtra.

d.**Religious sentiments and Cultural ethics:** India is a land of divine entity and home of saints. The religious sentiments of people are associated with plant/animal species, sacred landscapes and rivers. To protect these religious entities, communities bound themselves to conserve biodiversity. Examples: Sacred groves (**Table 3**) like Ajeevali village in Maharashtra, sacred landscapes of Sikkim, sacred ponds and forests of Uttarakhand etc. The sacred grooves include relic forest patches that form important repositories of forest biodiversity and provide abode to numerous plant and animal species. An inextricable link between the present society and past in terms of biodiversity, culture, religious and ethnic heritage exists in sacred grooves [25]. These grooves act as ideal centre for biodiversity conservation. Sacred grooves are found all over India especially in those regions where indigenous communities inhabit.

Our country is a place where multiple customs and traditions not necessarily linked to religious sentiments are being practiced. These customs and traditional beliefs also inculcate the sense of responsibility in common folks towards the protection of resources. Examples: Community land use in North-East India, heronries in villages like Kokkare Bellure in Karnataka etc.


**Table 3.** *Sacred Groves in India [24].*
