Sacred groves preserve ecological functions at any size, Kerala study finds

A study in Kerala's Kasaragod district found that caterpillar predation rates were significantly higher in sacred groves than in nearby home gardens, indicating that small culturally protected forest patches sustain predator-prey interactions that regulate herbivorous insect populations, even when fragmented from larger protected forests.

The fieldwork was conducted over two one-month periods in January–February 2024 and 2025 in northern Kerala; findings may not apply to all biogeographic regions or sacred grove types.