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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Threats to Ronga custodianship of a sacred grove in southern Mozambique
Author:Izidine, Samira A.
Year:2008
Periodical:Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Volume:7
Issue:2
Pages:182-197
Language:English
Geographic term:Mozambique
Subjects:nature conservation
indigenous knowledge
forest management
shrines
Tsonga
Abstract:Licuáti Forest Reserve in southern Mozambique safeguards a dry, tropical forest with many rare and endemic plant species, but it is also a sacred grove that holds the graves of the Santaca family who long served as the local traditional authority. This article evaluates perceptions of local people towards resource management in the Reserve. Interviews with male elders of the Ronga tribe serve as the main source of information regarding local cultural beliefs and practices concerning the forest. The results indicate that taboos and other local practices have been more important than State-based regulations in protecting the forest, particularly from charcoal production. However, the capacity of these local measures to protect the sacred grove is limited, given its socioeconomic and political status. This has led to the involvement of government through conservation policy and law enforcement. But such formal conservation measures are not sufficient, nor effective and a workable scheme based on the local indigenous knowledge system is proposed as a means to ensure the sustainable use of the forest in collaboration with governmental institutions. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract, edited]
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