Sacred nature in a changing world: How sacred forests in the Konso Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site, Ethiopia, persisted amidst historical and contemporary challenges

The Konso sacred forests in southern Ethiopia are a notable example of the conservation of a biocultural heritage where ecological integrity and cultural values are deeply intertwined. Konso is one of the few places in Africa, and perhaps the world, where intact sacred forests exist within a densely populated, intensively cultivated, and rapidly transforming landscape. Since 2011, the Konso Cultural Landscape, including its sacred forests, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. To understand the changes and resilience of the sacred forests, we mapped 66 sacred forests in the Konso UNESCO World Heritage Site, using GPS field inventory and satellite images from 2004 and 2023. We also conducted an empirical qualitative study in Konso between November 2023 and August 2025, including four focus group discussions and 23 key informant interviews with chiefs, community elders, religious leaders, and the World Heritage Site management committee. Our findings indicate a resilience of most sacred forests in Konso from 2004 to 2023, despite rapid economic and cultural transformations. The resilience of the sacred forests in Konso exemplifies how indigenous beliefs in reciprocity with nature can contribute to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Concerted efforts are required from regional and national governmental bodies e.g. by recognizing sacred forests in Konso as a key biocultural heritage and integrating them into the country’s national biodiversity strategy and climate action plans.