Sacred Groves and the Spirits of the Forest: Indigenous Religious Conservation Ethics and the Crisis of Biodiversity Loss in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The sacred groves of Cross River State, known among the Ejagham as Mfam forests and among the Boki as Nfam groves, represent one of Africa's most significant indigenous conservation systems. These forest patches, protected by religious taboos and ancestral sanctions, have preserved old-growth forest, protected watersheds, and provided habitat for endangered species including the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and the drill monkey (Mandrillus leucophaeus) for centuries. However, the rapid expansion of Pentecostal Christianity, commercial agriculture, and logging since the 1990s has placed these groves under unprecedented pressure. This paper examines the indigenous religious ethics that underpin sacred grove conservation, the threats these groves currently face, and the consequences of their destruction for biodiversity and community well-being. Drawing on fieldwork in Ejagham and Boki communities, interviews with grove custodians, Pentecostal pastors, and conservation officials, and vegetation surveys comparing grove and non-grove forest, the paper argues that the loss of sacred groves represents not only an ecological crisis but a religious and cultural one. Effective conservation in Cross River State requires engagement with the indigenous religious traditions that have protected these forests for generations.