India, Jan. 19 -- Sacred groves in the northern Western Ghats show the highest levels of human disturbance, a new study finds

Researchers compared four forest protection regimes across the Konkan and Western Ghats

Despite pressure, sacred groves continue to shelter ecologically important and endemic species

Sacred groves in India's northern Western Ghats are the most disturbed forest regimes due to human activity, a new study has found.

Sacred groves - a form of nature worship - are traditionally community-conserved forest patches protected through social and cultural norms. Despite facing intense pressure, the study found that these groves remain ecologically indispensable, serving as critical refuges for mature, old-growth trees. Sc...