Sacred places & living lands: How Indigenous Sámi peoples steward biodiversity (analysis)
Modern conservation is often traced to the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. in 1872. In Sweden, a similar milestone came with the founding of Sarek National Park in 1909, partly intended to protect the endangered brown bear of the far north. Yet, long before states established national parks and environmental agencies, people […]
The concept of sacred natural sites and their role in biodiversity conservation has gained traction in recent years. In Sweden, the establishment of Sarek National Park in 1909 can be seen as a comparable event to the founding of Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. in 1872. However, before the establishment of such parks and environmental agencies, communities worldwide had been safeguarding their landscapes through religious beliefs, customary laws, and Indigenous stewardship.
Japan's Shinto shrine forests, India's sacred groves, Ethiopia's churches and monasteries surrounded by protected forests, and rural Italy's sacred landscapes all serve as examples of this tradition.
A 2021 study by researcher Piero Zannini and his colleagues analyzed various studies from across the globe and discovered that sacred natural sites often had higher biodiversity, more intact vegetation, and better-preserved ecosystems compared to the surrounding areas. These sites appear to function as effective conservation systems, not solely due to state bureaucracy or scientific management, but rather through the influence of cosmology, rituals, and local traditions.
In the Enontekiö region of Finland, the Sami people consider the summit of Saana Fell a sacred site, further illustrating the significance of such sites in protecting biodiversity.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
