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Gorongosa Sacred Forests (mhondoro)
Mount Gorongosa & Gorongosa NP communities (Nhanfisse, Muanandimae), Sofala Province
Mozambique
Active
Regional cluster
- Location
- Mount Gorongosa & Gorongosa NP communities (Nhanfisse, Muanandimae), Sofala Province
- Coordinates
- ~18.8°S 34.3°E
- Elevation
- Mt Gorongosa (to ~1,863 m)
- Age / Founded
- Ancestral
- Status
- Active
- Deity & Religion
- Mhondoro (lion/ancestral mountain spirits); local traditional religion
- Community & Guardians
- Gorongosa communities (Nhanfisse, Muanandimae)
- Vernacular name
- Sacred forest (mhondoro spirit)
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Protection of sacred trees/animals; ancestral rites for drought, pests, harvest
Plant species
Mt Gorongosa montane & miombo forest
Biome & fauna
Afromontane forest & miombo woodland
Threats & protection
Ancestral land rights tied to mhondoro; shared park management proposed
Source
Linking Conservation, Community Knowledge & Adaptation: Gorongosa NP, Sustainability 13(11):6478, 2021