From Australia to Kerala: Students Drive Sacred Grove Conservation through CQUniversity–Live-in-Labs® Collaboration

The Live-in-Labs® Program of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has further strengthened its global engagement in sustainability-focused experiential learning through a collaborative initiative with CQUniversity, Australia. The joint project focuses on the conservation of Kerala’s sacred groves, ecologically rich forest patches protected for generations due to their cultural and spiritual significance.

Sacred groves serve as biodiversity hotspots, sustaining native flora and fauna while contributing to climate regulation and carbon sequestration. However, rapid development and the escalating impacts of climate change have placed many of these fragile ecosystems under threat.

International Academic Collaboration

Under this initiative, six engineering students from CQUniversity worked closely with Amrita faculty, students, interns, and local communities to examine the role of sacred groves in climate change mitigation. The project aims to scientifically assess carbon sequestration potential and strengthen the evidence base for long-term conservation and policy support.

Phase 1 of the project has been successfully completed. During this phase, the team deployed an Internet of Things (IoT)-based environmental monitoring device within a selected sacred grove. The deployment was carried out under the guidance of Dr Arya Devi, who oversaw sensor integration and data collection. Abhinav Jayakumar, a full-time intern with the Live-in-Labs® Program, supported the deployment through field coordination, sensor setup, and preliminary data handling.

In parallel, soil and water samples were collected to establish baseline ecological data. This component was conducted under the guidance of Dr Sruthy, ensuring adherence to scientific sampling protocols and enabling future analysis of ecosystem health and carbon storage.

Amrita students Nikhil Madhu and R Samiktha actively participated in fieldwork, data collection, and community engagement, reinforcing the multidisciplinary and collaborative approach that defines the Live-in-Labs® model.

Integrating Cultural Context with Scientific Research

Dr Amritesh AR from Amrita’s School for Sustainable Futures guided the project’s social and cultural dimensions, helping students understand the significance of sacred groves within local communities.

“Many of the students were unfamiliar with the concept of sacred groves,” he noted. We began with pilot visits to nearby groves to provide insight into their cultural, ecological, and spiritual importance before moving into detailed fieldwork.”

He also facilitated interviews and focus group discussions with community members to ensure that traditional knowledge and local perspectives were integrated into the research process.

“The collaboration enabled a meaningful exchange of technical and sociocultural perspectives. The combination of engineering expertise, field-based internships, and community-based research strengthened the overall outcomes of the project.”

Immersive Learning for Sustainable Impact
A defining feature of the Live-in-Labs® Program is immersive community engagement. During their stay in Kerala, the visiting students lived and worked alongside local communities, gaining firsthand exposure to grassroots conservation efforts and the challenges involved in safeguarding sacred ecosystems.

The next phase of the initiative will focus on long-term environmental monitoring using the installed IoT system. Continuous measurements of temperature, humidity, and air quality—combined with soil and water data—will provide deeper insights into how sacred groves contribute to carbon sequestration and local climate resilience. The findings are expected to support community-led conservation initiatives and inform future research and policy discussions.

Advancing Experiential Learning
The Amrita Live-in-Labs® Program is a flagship, credit-based experiential learning initiative that bridges classroom theory with real-world application. By living and working in rural communities, students and interns co-design sustainable solutions through participatory research, developing technical competence alongside social responsibility.

Through initiatives such as the Sacred Grove Conservation project, Amrita continues to integrate education, research, and societal impact—nurturing globally responsible engineers while contributing meaningfully to environmental sustainability and community resilience.