Mangar Bani

Mangar Bani

Subject: Environment

Context: A study by CEDAR, the 219 species found in the Mangar landscape include 130 resident species, 53 winter migrants, 12 summer migrants, and 16 passage migrants.

Concept:

• Mangar Bani is a sacred grove in Aravallis region.
• Mangar is a central part of a continuous north-south stretch of Aravalli forests from Asola, Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary (ABWLS) and Surajkund to the Damdamalake.
• The nilgai, India’s largest antelope, is one of the most commonly spotted ungulates in the Mangar forests, which provide ample food for the herbivorous mammals.

About sacred grove:

• Sacred groves are part of the forest fragments with religious or ritual significance for the community inhabiting the region. These are generally devoted to local folk deities or tree spirit.
• It is an early manifestation of nature worship.
• It is an example of in-situ conservation.
• It is found in many regions of India: Ex- In Kerala it is also known as “Kavus”, In Bihar it is known as Sarnas, Kovikaadu in Tamil Nadu, and some of the richest groves are found in Meghalaya.

Its significance includes:

• Conservation of biodiversity
• Recharging aquifers
• Soil protection
• Medicinal use with the use of traditional knowledge
• Rich gene pool of rare flora and fauna.