Local Customary Practices for the Conservation of Biocultural Heritage in Mozambique

The Sacred Forest of Save

Abstract

This article focuses on the customary conservation practices of the sacred forest as a natural heritage category, in interaction with khu-phalha and myths as intangible cultural heritage categories. The aim is to analyse and demonstrate how the intangible cultural practices of ku-phalha and myths contribute to forest conservation and vice versa. Methodologically, the research is supported by bibliographical research and fieldwork based on direct observation and oral history. From the research carried out between 2023 and 2024, in Mozambique, Inhambane Province, Govuro District, Save Locality, it is concluded that the practices of khu-phalha and myths attribute a symbolic value linked to the sacredness of the place, which is described as a forest where a group of plants are present that are believed to have cultural value and a syncretic religious magical character. Sacredness implies the creation of a set of inhibitions on the exploitation of ecosystem services, which translates into the protection and conservation of the forest. Khu-phalha has in the forest yet another space for its practice, its transmission and continuity for new generations.  Conservation finds its broad sense of application in the symbolic analytical category of Ku-phalha, because the forest is another space for conservation and protection practices, with a view to their transmission and continuity for new generations. There is an interaction between ku-phalha, myths and the forest, which translates into the conservation of both heritages, and this interaction leads to what is known as biocultural heritage conservation practices. This article aims to answer questions about the role of these customary and customary dictates in the process of maintaining representative and symbolic spaces of intangible heritage.