Our generation is witnessing a struggle most countries face - balancing development and natural resource conservation. It is a globally accepted fact that spiritual and cultural bonds with nature can be one of the strongest motivators for conservation. India’s animism and cultural conservation, strongly reflected in our roots and ancient history, provides a path. In India, forests are revered, and trees are worshipped. There are folklores, festivals, sacred groves and indigenous lifestyles all acting as pillars of sustainability.

Around 14,000 sacred groves all over India, are protected in the name of local deity or ancestral spirits and are extremely rich in flora and fauna. Communities like Bishnois of Rajasthan practice conservation as religion where killing of animals and felling of green trees are prohibited. Mishmis in Arunachal consider Tigers as their own brothers and Irula tribe in Tamil Nadu are known for their expert understanding of snakes.

Similarly, Himalayan societies have been living the most ancient human-nature bond and have a strong realization of the ‘sacred’ as a tool for conservation. Their lifestyles are deeply connected to conservation ethos and are also depicted in their religious rituals and culture. Located in the lap of Eastern Himalayas, Sikkim has its own unique ethnicity.

In Sikkim, Demazong is a sacred cultural landscape managed by the ethnic communities Lepchas, Bhutias and the Nepalese, which is also the home to the sacred Mount Khangchendzonga that symbolizes co-existence between people and nature. Devithans and Gumpa forests including forest patches, mother trees, rivers and stone stupas are protected all over the state. In the northern part of Sikkim, there also exists another traditional self-governance system with its own rules for resource extraction known as ‘Dzumsa’.