Worldwide, policies and legal frameworks are the main recognized tools for controlling and preventing deforestation. Strong deforestation policies can reduce forest loss, but they can be less effective if they ignore the motivations of the people they govern and disregard existing conservation practices. There is strong evidence that traditional ecological knowledge, religious frameworks, folklore and superstition can motivate people to curb deforestation – at times more than formal legal frameworks.

From folklore…

Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world have used traditional knowledge systems to govern and protect forests since time immemorial. Each community has its own philosophy of nature, but many treat trees with reverence and discourage excessive deforestation.

Indigenous animism – the belief that nature is alive with spirit – predates most formalized faiths. In Japanese and Shintoist folklore, for example, tree spirits known as kodama become angry and bring misfortune to anyone who cuts down old trees. In several Muslim-majority countries, it is believed that spirits known as jinn, which originate from Islam, are believed to live abundantly in forests. This concept has been woven into local folklore, featuring stories that warn jinn will become vengeful if their arboreal homes are disturbed or harmed. In the Gilgit region of Pakistan, cutting a green tree is considered a sin, as the tree is seen as a living being with consciousness and feelings.

In Ghana, the Pinkwae sacred grove is a 120-hectare woodland that is protected because of an oral history. In it, the local Katamanso people vowed to protect the land in perpetuity as a sanctuary for their god, Afiye, in return for protection in battle. Rural communities keep sacred groves like this one relatively undisturbed through strict rules and restrictions that have no recognition in Ghana’s modern statutory law. Where such views are respected and upheld, rich pockets of biodiversity survive even in heavily degraded areas.

SEI’s own research has found similar practices. Communities in Thailand’s Songkhram River basin have deep spiritual connections and traditional folklore behind that underpin their conservation strategies. Yet this knowledge is vital to maintaining local ecosystems, and it was still left out of official planning and decision-making because it was not seen as “scientific”.

…to major religions

Major religious traditions express similar values and can protect trees and forests where legal enforcement fails. In Thailand, loggers avoid cutting trees that Buddhist monks have ordained. The ritual expresses the Buddhist principle of ahimsa (non-harm), extended to the environment. The practice even received official endorsement from the King, which extended the ordinations to a goal of 50 million trees. This shows what collaborative governance can achieve for conservation.  

In the marabout forests of Morocco, the areas around the tombs of Muslim saints are considered especially sacred and remain intact even amid intensive cultivation. This reflects the Islamic concept of khilafah (stewardship), which calls for nature to be protected and safeguarded.

Hinduism similarly reveres forests, amongst other ecosystems, as the homes of deities. Across India, more than 100 000 sacred groves rich in biodiversity are preserved by strict religious taboos on felling.

Christian traditions offer examples too. The Ethiopian Tewahido Church sees forests as the “clothing” of a church, and its forests are rich in biodiversity and carefully protected.

SEI also has experience of combining research insights with Catholic teaching to encourage people to care for the environment. Through a collaboration with the Vatican, SEI has developed a booklet for Catholics worldwide. It includes a section on biodiversity that encourages congregations to consider how they can take meaningful action. The booklet has been translated into seven languages and around 150 000 printed copies were distributed. It is still used as an educational resource in schools and faith communities in countries including Italy, Ghana, Australia and Peru.

Bridging science, policy and culture

These existing cultural governance mechanisms cannot be ignored. SEI research has found that government organizations often pursue a colonial agenda in decisions affecting Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The same research found that frontline officials can help bridge the gap between official rules and Indigenous governance systems by working with Indigenous representatives and respecting their knowledge and practices. These belief systems matter deeply to the people that hold them and already regulate the environment effectively. Integrating them into regional policy could be vital to increasing compliance, reducing deforestation and giving frontline protectors the legal backing to defend their ecosystems.

Integrating spiritual ecologies into formal policy offers opportunities for better forest protection, but it also carries risks. One of which is the extractive nature of traditional knowledge without the free, prior, and informed consent of the communities who hold it, often misinterpreting their knowledge and creating policies that do not benefit them equitably. Traditional structures can sometimes reinforce patriarchal dynamics that restrict vulnerable groups’ access to vital resources. Collaborative governance must therefore ensure equitable access to resources and encourage marginalized groups to take an active part. That way, it can uncover what most strongly motivates conservation and what safeguards are needed.

Finally, spiritual governance must be paired with ecological monitoring and baseline support. Fear of supernatural consequences may break down under severe climate and economic stress, so conservation policies need to combine respect for spiritual frameworks with measurable assessments. By bridging scientific and traditional knowledge, policies can respect both the cultural integrity of a landscape and its biological limits.