The role of religious beliefs in the conservation of biodiversity in the holy shrines of Pakistan

Muslim shrines are deeply revered in Pakistan given the fact that devotees believe saints are buried in them, but they also have a deep respect for the bird, animal and tree species residing within the shrine premises. The devotees believe that harming these animal and plant species will in turn have a negative effect on their own lives, whereas caring for and protecting them will bring an increase in their happiness and livelihood sources. This practice has led to the conservation of birds, animals and some tree species in the shrines in Pakistan, even if not intentional. We examined the number of plant and animal species protected in 10 selected shrines across Pakistan and share with you our findings here. Focus group discussions with the Manjawars (people taking care of the Shrine) revealed that three bird species, two mammal species, one reptile species and four plant species are conserved at these shrines. From our findings, we strongly recommend that the Pakistani government should provide better financial support to these shrines for proper care and conservation of these species. This will provide protection to the animals and birds species in the shrines and will ultimately promote religious tourism in Pakistan. Shrines, mosques and graveyards are places of religious attachments for people in Pakistan where many plant species are conserved (Ishtiaq et al. 2013; Sher, Yousaf, and Khan 2013). Worshipping of birds, animals and sacred trees are spiritual and cultural practices that date back to the Indus Valley civilization in Pakistan. Shrines of saints are reverend by Muslims in Pakistan and other South Asian countries (Mukul, Rashid, and Uddin 2012; Dandekar and Tschacher 2016; Charan et al. 2020). These shrines of saints are also called Mazar, Dargah and Darbar (Uddin 2006; Rahman 2017). The saints buried in these shrines are also known by names such as waliullah, Awlia, sufi, Peer, Sarkar, Hazrat and Baba (Hussain 2021). We will use the word ‘saint’ throughout this opinion piece for these pious people because it is commonly used by other researchers in the literature. It is believed by Muslims that the saints were given special healing powers by Allah almighty, called Kiramat (spiritual powers) (Frembgen 2002). Each of these saints had a disciple called a Murshid (Hussain 2021). Currently these shrines are under the influence of Sajjada Nasheen or Gaddi nasheen, a descendent of the saint family. The people who take care of the shrine are called Manjawars (Mukul, Rashid, and Uddin 2012), and their duties include cleaning the shrines, controlling financial matters and other arrangements, and management including provision of food to the devotees on special occasions. It is important to note that the whole system operates through charity, dependent on donations from visitors or devotees. The death anniversaries of these saints are celebrated with great zeal by many followers and are called Urs or mela. In these situations, the qawwal (special religious singers) perform qawwali. In Muslim shrines in Pakistan, some tree and animal species have been protected due to the religious beliefs of the people (Charan et al. 2020; Olsen 2020), namely that some of the trees are believed to be seating places for the religious saints buried in the shrines. These trees are now used as seating for devotees as they provide shade in the summer season. Their leaves are used as medicines for healing various diseases and women are recommended to eat them if they have trouble conceiving children. Banyan (Ficus bengalensis), berry (Ziziphus mauritiana) and peepals trees (Ficus religiosa) are given special protection by devotees in the shrines (Kamran et al. 2020) as it is believed these trees are home to guardian spirts. If someone cuts down the tree or even their branches, the guardian spirits will find the house of the one responsible for the destruction (Kamran et al. 2020) and wreak havoc upon them.