ABSTRACT
This chapter asks whether the sacred groves of Sierra Leone help preserve Indigenous Environmental Knowledge (IEK). Sacred groves are community-managed forests that are protected because of the cultural traditions and rituals that these forests support. The research was conducted in the Tonkolili District in central Sierra Leone and looked at residents’ attitudes, use, and rules regarding local sacred groves, as well as the impact of war on the groves. This research suggests that societal traditions, knowledge, and rituals remained the most important aspects that are associated with the protection of sacred groves. Key informant interviews suggested that even with modernization in Sierra Leone, the local communities are keen to protect the groves, provided the traditional beliefs and informal social institutions are supported in the management of sacred groves.
