Mangrove forestsMangrove forests are vital to stabilize the coastline, reduce erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides, insulate the shores from tsunamisTsunamis, and preserve coastal biodiversity. The intricate root system of mangroves also makes these forests attractive to fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators. It provides safe breeding grounds for commercially important fish and other organisms. The Indian state of KeralaKerala has a 590-km-long coastline and frequently suffers from seawater inundation and coastal erosionCoastal erosion. Kerala is also known to have an extensive assemblage of large and small sacred grovesSacred groves (called Kavu/kavukal locally). Despite this, it is remarkable that very few, if any, sacred groves are in mangrovesMangrove. In this work, we examine in detail the causes of this neglect of mangroves in the socio-cultural landscape of KeralaKerala. Considering mangroves as Secular Sacred GrovesSacred groves may foster a community-led movement to conserving mangroves. We suggest that for the fishing community, educating them about the benefits of preventing coastal erosionCoastal erosion and providing food security is more effective in convincing them to preserve mangrovesMangrove as socio-culturally important secular sacred sites, giving them a status resembling that of sacred grovesSacred groves.