India has a history of religious and cultural traditions like worshiping trees, wildlife and rivers that protects biodiversity. In many cultures, sacred groves are developed by leaving aside land for forests. This type of sacred groves are still present in some places like Meghalaya's Khansi and Jayanti Hills, Aravalli mountain ranges of Rajasthan, Western Ghats Karnataka and Maharashtra and Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar region of Madhya Pradesh, etc. Many rare species are safe in the sacred groves of Meghalaya. Rajasthan Vishnoi caste worships Khejri tree and deer and considers their conservation as their religion. Many communities worship cow, Peepal, Amla, Banyan, Tulsi. Such religious sentiments also help in bio-conservation of ecology.
It's strategy for the protection of biodiversity has been in practice in India and some other Asian countries. These are forest patches of varying dimension protected by tribal community. Due to religious sanctity the sacred forest are free from all disturbances, though these are frequently surrounded by highly degraded landscapes. They serve as refugia for a number of rare endangered and endemic taxa Water bodies like khecheopatri lake have been declared sacred by the people for protection of aquatic fauna and flora.