<![CDATA[Cross River State contains Nigeria's largest remaining tract of tropical rainforest, a biodiversity hotspot of global significance that is also home to hundreds of sacred groves protected by indigenous religious taboos. These groves, known among the Ejagham as Mfam forests and among the Boki as Nfam groves, have historically functioned as de facto nature reserves, preserving old-growth forest, protecting watersheds, and providing habitat for endangered species including the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) and the drill monkey (Mandrillus leucophaeus). However, the rapid expansion of Pentecostal Christianity, commercial agriculture, and logging since the 1990s has placed these groves under unprecedented pressure. Pentecostal pastors have led campaigns to destroy sacred groves as sites of demonic worship, while economic pressures have driven communities to clear groves for plantation agriculture. This paper examines the political ecology of sacred grove destruction in Cross River State, arguing that the loss of these sites represents not only a cultural and religious crisis but an ecological one with implications for biodiversity conservation, watershed protection, and climate resilience. Drawing on political ecology, the anthropology of religion, and conservation biology, the paper analyses the intersecting religious, economic, and political forces driving grove destruction, the ecological consequences of this destruction, and the strategies that communities and conservation organisations are developing to protect remaining groves. The paper concludes that the future of Cross River State's forests depends on recognising the conservation value of indigenous sacred sites and supporting the communities that have protected them for centuries.]]>
