Sacred groves: the oldest conservation system we have
By SDSVC Trust
Scattered across Anakapalle district are patches of old-growth trees that were never cut — not because of any law, but because they belonged to a deity. These sacred groves are among India's oldest conservation institutions.
Why groves matter now
Groves shelter native species that have disappeared from surrounding farmland. They shade and protect the water bodies beside them — and in a district of tank-fed agriculture, that is not sentiment, it is irrigation.
What threatens them
Encroachment, firewood pressure, and simple forgetting. When a generation grows up without the grove's festivals, the grove loses its guardians.
The trust's commitment
Our deed commits us to protecting areas of environmental significance — sacred groves, hills and hillocks, water bodies and their adjoining areas. In practice this means documenting the groves and tanks around Rambilli Mandal, running plantation drives with native species, and reviving the observances that once kept these places cared for.
Join our next plantation drive — details are on the events page.