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We test the generally held belief that sacred forests are better managed thanforest reserves. Towards this end, tree diversity, population structure and their relation to site
disturbances were studied in five replicate stands each of sacred forests and reference reserve
forests in southern Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. In each of the study sites, two belt
transects of size 5 x 1000 m were laid down randomly for assessing tree species. A total of 7836
trees belonging to 158 species were inventoried in all the stands. The stands in the sacred
forests were more diverse, had higher basal area, and showed fewer signs of disturbance than
the reference forest stands, supporting the view that local communities afford better protection
and management to sacred groves. We suggest that the long-term sustenance of biodiversity in
sacred forest sites require an integrated approach involving local communities as well the
government sector.