USRNC 2.3 (2008) 373-390] JSRNC (print) ISSN 1363-7320 doi: 10.1558/jsrnc.v2i3.373 JSRNC (online) ISSN 1743-1689 Taboo and Political Authority in Conservation Policy: A Case Study of the Licuáti Forest in Maputaland, Mozambique Samira A. Izidine Department of Botany, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Maputo 8, Mozambique sizidine@yahoo.com Stefan J. Siebert Department of Botany, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa Abraham E. van Wyk Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa Alpheus M. Zobolo Department of Botany, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa Abstract In Mozambique, food shortages caused by years of civil war, an insatiable need for cheap sources of energy, and a burgeoning human population have placed considerable pressure on the environment through unsustain- able harvesting of natural resources. Many threatened forests lie within the development zone of Maputo. The Licuáti Forest Reserve (LFR) is one such area, originally established to ensure sustainable harvesting of valuable timber trees. The LFR is also of great cultural significance to the Ronga people, as it contains a sacred forest. In recent years, deforestation in and around the LFR has been taking place at Ll% per annum because the enforcement of laws to counter illegal extraction has been weak, resulting in changes in forest structure and a decline in the diversity of large tree species. Urbanisation has resulted in the breakdown of cultural taboos and threatens not only the loss of plant resources in the LFR, but also the indigenous knowledge systems of the Ronga. The conservation status of the sacred area under threat was evaluated by use of a questionnaire, and the needs of the community determined to highlight important issues. This study revealed that traditional values and cultural rites of sacred groves © Equinox Publishing Ltd 2008, Unit 6, The Viliage, 101 Amies Street, London SWll 2JW.