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Rambatemwa Sacred Forests (incl. Chirinda/Mt Selinda)
Eastern Highlands (Chipinge/Mt Selinda) & across Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Active (some as botanical reserves)
Regional cluster
- Location
- Eastern Highlands (Chipinge/Mt Selinda) & across Zimbabwe
- Coordinates
- ~20.45°S 32.72°E
- Elevation
- Eastern Highlands (~1,100 m)
- Size
- Chirinda Forest Reserve ~950 ha primary evergreen
- Age / Founded
- Ancient (Shona ancestral)
- Status
- Active (some as botanical reserves)
- Deity & Religion
- Mhondoro ancestral spirits (animal-form); Shona traditional religion
- Community & Guardians
- Ndau/Shona communities
- Vernacular name
- Rambatemwa ('forest that cannot be cut')
- Record type
- Regional cluster
Cultural practices & uses
Religio-cultural rituals; strict tree-cutting prohibition (anger ancestors)
Plant species
Afromontane evergreen; rare Strychnos mellodora, S. mitis, Argomuellera macrophylla, Celtis mildbraedii; 'Big Tree' (Khaya anthotheca)
Biome & fauna
Afromontane–subtropical forest (tropical/subtropical mix)
Threats & protection
Sacred protection + botanical reserve; conservation/conflict tensions
Source
Byers et al. 2001, Human Ecology 'Sacred Forests in Zimbabwe'; JSAS 2019 Chirinda