Sacred groves have existed in most human cultures around the world since as far back as we can trace. But in addition to local deities and significant cultural practices, important biodiversity is also protected by these places, says new research from Nigeria, where one such area has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“Our research, building on all of the research conducted previously, shows that the aggregate contributions of sacred groves to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem resilience and protection against intense land-use pressures are widely recognized,” says the paper’s lead author Samuel Adeyanju, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Adeyanju grew up only a two-hour drive from the 75-hectare Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove, a remnant of old-growth forest regarded as the home of fertility goddess Osun and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read more here!