Paper short abstract:

Globally, sacred groves are primarily protected by communities for their spiritual or cultural value. These sites are subject to increasing threats which results in their degradation. We investigate the factors influencing biodiversity conservation in three sacred groves in southwest Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

Globally, sacred groves represent a traditional form of community-based conservation, recognized for their capacity to preserve areas that are of cultural and religious importance to local people. In most cases, the entire community takes on a watchdog role to guard against encroachment and unauthorized access. Previous studies suggest these sites are subject to increasing threats which results in their degradation and disappearance in many places around the world. Hence, our paper investigates the factors influencing biodiversity conservation in three sacred groves under varying formal and informal institutional management in southwest Nigeria—Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove (UNESCO World Heritage Site); Idanre Hills (Nigerian National Monument) and Igbo-Olodumare (local cultural site). We found that customary institutions have guided reverence for sacralized spaces and wise utilization of their unique resources. The growing recognition of sacred groves has paved the way for socioeconomic rewards for individuals and government as cultural tourism increases. We found that the involvement of formal institutions alongside customary institutions in sacred grove management reinforces compliance with conservation laws within the sacred groves, especially where traditional norms are weak or may be disregarded. We conclude that a mix of customary and formal institutional management using cultural norms and prohibitions in the former, and state-enforced rules (constitution, laws, regulations) in the latter are central to biodiversity conservation in sacred groves. We discuss the implications of these observations and offer suggestions to improve community engagement, uphold traditional ecological knowledge, and develop ecotourism within the groves.