ANALYZING PLANT SPECIES DISTRIBUTION IN SACRED GROVES THROUGH SPATIAL CLUSTERING

Sacred groves are patches of natural vegetation preserved through local taboos and sanctions that entail spiritual and ecological values. Sacred Groves play a vital role in preserving the ecological balance and biodiversity. They offer crucial ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat preservation. Preserving them is key to mitigating the impacts of climate change and maintaining ecosystem resilience. This study involved the design and development of technology tools such as a mobile app for field data collection and a Web-based analytical Dashboard. A detailed field data collection was carried out to identify the plant species across 108 sacred groves in the Pathanamthitta district. Among 479 plant species found in these groves, 146 were trees and 333 were non-trees, including shrubs, lianas, and herbs. The dominant tree species, Caryota urens L, was found with a total count of 427 individuals in the 90 sacred groves. Furthermore, 41 species were listed in the IUCN status, with 17 being trees and 24 being non-trees, highlighting the conservation significance of these groves and emphasizing the necessity of their protection. Nearest neighbour analysis revealed species clustering with low index values, while hotspot analysis identified clusters of species characterized by high and low species richness. The identified low species richness patches potentially indicated a risk of extinction of species that need immediate intervention for conservation.