Place attachments are essential for community identity, yet little is understood about sacred natural sites' salience to these attachments. A network of sacred natural sites, also known as Zwifho, is located across the Vhembe District in South Africa's Limpopo province. This qualitative case study explores and describes community members' relationships with these sacred natural sites and community responses to ecological degradation affecting these places. The study used purposive sampling to access community members who identify as protectors of the Zwifho, traditional leadership, and community members with particular environmental knowledge. The primary researcher conducted 13 in-depth qualitative interviews and conducted a thematic analysis. After data collection, archival and online materials were used to complement the description of community-based responses to ecological degradation. Field workers verified the data and the findings were critically reviewed. The findings highlighted psychological bonds that community members have to Zwifho and have demonstrated that these sites are essential for the co-creation and transferal of intergenerational community identity. The study utilizes the example of Dzomo La Mupo, a community-based movement, to demonstrate how community-based struggles help to safeguard these sacred natural sites. Finally, the study discusses how principles of earth jurisprudence and place attachment present opportunities for community psychologists, ecopsychologists, and other change-makers to support similar land and environmental justice struggles.
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