Browsing by Author "Saikia, Anup"

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The Hand of God: Delineating Sacred Groves and their Conservation Status in India's Far East
(2006) Saikia, Anup
"Sacred groves (SGs) are small groves that vary in size from a few hectares to a few kilometers protected by local communities as being the sacred residences of local deities and sites for religio-cultural rituals, have served as valuable storehouses of biodiversity. SGs are forests that have been protected since the ages by traditional societies. In the past SGs were present in numerous parts of the world, nearly every continent, and were entities held sacred by communities with different religions and different forms of economic and social organization. Most of the world's SGs have disappeared and few remain today. However some SGs have been passed down the generations and the hills of the north eastern region of India (NER) are one instance where pristine groves relatively undisturbed by man, are found even today. SGs have well developed forest ecosystems and high degrees of species richness and a rich biodiversity in general, depending on the extent of preservation of the grove. The present study is confined to the area covered by two satellite data scenes, corresponding to a Survey of India topographical sheet of 1:50,000 scale. This is approximately 1500 sq. kilometers. Within this area in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, the total area of which is 5196 square km, the focus being on the Mawphlang- Sohra area which possesses the best preserved sacred grooves in the region, easily among the better preserved grooves in India. Herein lies the rationale of choosing this area. This area also accounts for about half of the 30 odd SGs of East Khasi Hills. The other area is that of Assam's Karbi Anglong district, in which the Western part of the district, i.e. the Hmaren sub-division, where numerous un-reported SGs exist."
Indigenous Control and Sustainability of Common Resources in the Hills of North East India
(2004) Saikia, Anup
"In excess of 200 tribal groups at various stages of socio- economic development are settled in India's north eastern region (NER), prompting the government to allow these sensitive, hitherto loosely administered territories under British rule to be governed by a separate Sixth Schedule under the Constitution of India This Schedule, was enacted five decades ago to allow autonomy to tribal communities in their administrative, legislative and financial matters; it also served to protect them from domination and exploitation from external forces "As a result land, forest and mineral resources were exploited on a community basis; tribal institutions governed the use of resources and tribal belief systems promoted sustainable use and exploitation of common resources The preservation of 'sacred forests' and unabated shifting cultivation are examples that show that the results of self governance were a mixed bag."