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Sarppakkavu Serpent Groves (Alappuzha district)
Alappuzha (non-forested) district, Kerala
India
Active
Regional cluster
- Location
- Alappuzha (non-forested) district, Kerala
- Coordinates
- ~9.5°N 76.4°E
- Size
- 1,128 groves covering 83.55 ha total
- Age / Founded
- Several generations (traditional)
- Status
- Active
- Deity & Religion
- Serpent (Naga) deities — 'Sarppakkavu'; Hindu
- Community & Guardians
- Local families; one grove kept by ~30 families with hereditary ectrodactyly (seen as divine gift)
- Vernacular name
- Kaavu (Sarpakavu = serpent grove)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Serpent worship; entry/cutting taboos; in-situ conservation
Plant species
687 plant species/493 genera/127 families incl. critically endangered, vulnerable & endemic taxa
Biome & fauna
Lowland Kerala groves (Kaavu)
Threats & protection
Taboo-protected; surrounded by non-forest land
Source
Warrier, 'Ectrodactyly... Sarppakkavu', 3rd Indian Biodiversity Congress (IBC 2014) Abstracts