Sacred Groves, patches of natural forests, a manifestation of nature worship offer ecological, environmental and socio-cultural functions to the local communities. This paper is based on the study of three sacred groves in Jhabuaa district in Madhya Pradesh that is demographically dominated by the Bhil tribe and brings out the present status of these groves in terms of ecological and cultural importance. This community has been protecting these groves over decades in the honour of their deities and ancestral spirits where they perform their religious rituals. The interconnection between the Bhil community and nature since time immemorial is indicated here. There is evidence now that the clans in Bhil tribe have been associated with the worship of specific species sacred to them and these species happen to be of “ecological keystone value’’. It also suggests some solutions to biodiversity conservation in regard to the present-day threats and depletive factors affecting the sacred groves.
