UNIZIK JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HUMAN RELATIONS

Environmental degradation and resource scarcity have increasingly intersected with religious and cultural claims to land in Africa, giving rise to complex conflicts around sacred spaces. In many African societies, forests, rivers, and mountains are not only ecological assets but also sacred domains central to indigenous cosmologies and spiritual practices. As development pressures, climate change, and religious pluralism intensify, these sacred landscapes have become contested areas between traditional religious adherents, modern religious groups, and external factors such as government agencies or corporations. This article investigates the nature of environmental religious conflicts in Africa and explores how indigenous dispute resolution mechanisms anchored in oral traditions, spiritual authority, and communal governance can be employed to manage and mitigate such conflicts. The study adopted Sacred Ecology theory, as propounded by Fikret Berkes (1999), it provides a lens through which traditional ecological knowledge and spiritual relationships with nature are examined as tools for environmental conflict resolution. Using case studies from Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, the paper highlights the enduring relevance of traditional peacemaking methods in restoring social harmony, protecting sacred ecologies, and reconciling spiritual and environmental interests. It further examines the limitations of these indigenous systems and proposes a framework for integrating them into formal environmental and legal policy structures. The study recommends integrating indigenous knowledge into environmental policies, recognizing sacred sites in peacebuilding efforts, and promoting educational programs to raise awareness among youth and religious leaders about the value of sacred spaces and traditional conflict resolution methods.

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