The role of sense of place in maintaining resilience in social-ecological systems: a case study of the sacred groves in the Western Ghats, India

The exclusion of people from conservation decision-making poses a significant challenge, affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation actions. However, understanding the intricate social-ecological relationship between people and places necessitates a paradigm shift to address conservation challenges through a stewardship-focused resilience approach. Focusing on social-ecological systems (SES) such as the devrahati (sacred groves, SG) in the northern Western Ghats, India, this study explores the local community's sense of place (SoP), shaped by their lived experiences, emotions, and perceptions, as a crucial link between social and ecological aspects that foster resilience of these systems.Place-based concepts like place meanings, place attachments, and place attitudes were investigated using a qualitative approach combining semi-structured interviews and participatory observations. Data was collected from the local community members to gain insights into their knowledge, practices, and beliefs related to the devrahati. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring patterns and themes that illustrate what shapes the SGs.The devrahatis are a complex sacred space deeply intertwined with the community’s history, spirituality, and identity. They have multifaceted meanings that seep deep into spiritual, ecological, and cultural aspects; however, changing relationships impact the frequency and nature of people-place interactions with the space. The shift from working-spiritual landscapes to primarily spiritual landscapes, along with generational and gender disconnects with the place, and weak governance, is leading to the erosion of knowledge and the weakening of ritual practices. This research provides valuable empirical evidence for using SoP to build stewardship-focused resilience in the devrahati.While the research establishes the deep-rooted significance of SoP in the people-place relationship, it also offers a useful tool, the linked SES-SoP framework (framework), for identifying and understanding opportunities to cultivate knowledge sharing, which can encourage social learning, fostering a sense of ownership, enhancing collective efficacy and empowering local actors to develop a shared understanding and vision for a resilient future. The framework's six enablers (understanding social-ecological diversity, connectivity, participation and partnership, governance, funding/ resources, and learning and evaluation) facilitate identifying the challenges and assist in making coherent decision-making for resilient SES.</p