This text, sponsored by UNESCO, provides a critical evaluation of the "sacred" groves from a variety of ecological, social, anthropological and cultural attributes of the sacred groves; spatial dimensions of the "sacred", leading to species- and landscape-level analysis, determining ecosystem/langscape level functional attributes; the whole issue of managing the "sacred" in the contemporary climate of declining natural resources, land degradation and rehabilitation ecology; and management related policy implications. The volume emphasizes the significance of economic incentives, developing and managing buffer zones, mobilization of public opinion, strengthening traditional management practices while constantly reviewing and analyzing management plans and incorporating them from time to time, taking care of the sustainable livelihood and development of traditional societies, arriving at appropriate legal frameworks of management and networking interested individuals and agencies for exchange of information for a better understanding of the subject.