Since the 1980s conservation of forests has become an important goal rather than collecting timber. The government has recognised that, in order to meet this goal, the people who live near the forests must be involved. In many cases, across India, from Mizoram to Kerala, dense forests have survived only because villagers protected them in sacred groves known as sarnas, devarakudu, kan, rai, etc. Some villagers have been patrolling their own forests, with each household taking it in turns, instead of leaving it to the forest guards. Forest officials surveyed the forests, estimated the area under different types of trees, and made workingplans for forest management.