Saving Nature with Faith Communities - The...
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Saving Nature with Faith Communities
Working in partnership for nature in the UK and around the world
Sabbatical Report, April 2013
Simon Marsh
2
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all my interviewees (see Annex A) and many colleagues at the RSPB
for their help, support and encouragement, in particular: Elizabeth Allen, Sue Armstrong-
Brown, Chris Bowden, Chris Cavalier, Martyn Foster, Rob George, Martin Harper, Conor
Jameson, Michael Krause, Sabine Lyko, Andrew Manly, Ruth Smyth, Joanne Treverton, Tim
Webb and Jonny Wright. However I take full responsibility for any shortcomings in this
report!
Contents
2
Executive summary and recommendations
3
1. Why engage with faith groups?
5
2. Project objective and methodology
6
3. Why we save nature
Beliefs of faith groups about nature
Beliefs of conservation groups about nature
7
9
4. Faith groups in the UK
Characteristics
Demographics of faith groups and RSPB supporters
Faith groups and environmental action in the UK
Case studies
Recommendations
13
17
20
21
26
5. Faith groups globally
Characteristics
Faith groups and environmental action
Case studies
Local and global: working in partnership
Recommendations
27
30
31
34
35
Bibliography
36
Annexes
A Interviewees
39
B Faith groups – detailed data
42
C Faith-based environmental initiatives 44
3
Executive summary and recommendations
The RSPB strategy Saving Nature recognises that we have to work increasingly in
partnership with others to achieve our goals. That includes faith communities in the UK and
around the world. The purpose of my sabbatical project was to review the contribution
made by faith communities to nature conservation, and to make recommendations on how
the RSPB can best work with them.
The review involved some desk-based research and interviews with experts. There are three
related questions at the heart of the project:
1. The moral question: secular nature conservation bodies such as the RSPB may state
that there is a moral case for saving nature, but find this hard to articulate in a way
which resonates with people in faith communities. How could they do this better
and how should they articulate the intrinsic (as opposed to the instrumental or
utilitarian) value of nature?
2. The people question: how can conservation bodies work through or with the belief
systems of faith communities to bring about positive attitudes to nature?
3. The land question: how can conservation bodies influence the church (and other
major land-owning religious institutions) to manage its resources (buildings, land,
investments) positively for nature?
This report considers these questions in the context of a review of faith communities and
nature conservation, and presents a number of case studies from the UK and around the
world. The key findings and recommendations are below.
Key findings:
All major world faiths have some concept either of the earth as created by God or
sacred and therefore deserving of care.
Declarations may not translate into practical action. Like any secular body, faith
organisations can be inconsistent in their policy.
The RSPB’s beginnings were closely linked to Christianity. Although the
conservation movement has multiple roots, Christian values are deeply embedded in
its origins.
Utilitarian and scientific reasons for saving nature are insufficient in themselves.
Conservation groups should be prepared to work with religious and cultural values
and to have their own philosophy challenged.
More than half (59%) of the UK population consider themselves to be Christian, but
minority faith groups are growing in size and significance, especially in major
metropolitan areas.
4
Around 7 million adults in the UK are formal church members, mostly in the
Catholic Church and Church of England. Churchgoing is highest in Northern Ireland
and London, and lowest in Wales.
Between 15 and 20% of RSPB supporters are regular worshippers or church goers.
There are a significant number of faith-based environmental initiatives in the UK, but
at the national level A Rocha UK is effectively the only one with a focus on nature.
Globally, 82% of people agree that religion is an important part of people’s daily
lives.
The Catholic Church accounts for almost half (46%) of the worldwide Christian
community, but the Christian church is diverse and dynamic, with rapid growth in
countries such as China and India.
There is a significant number of international faith-based environment initiatives.
The work of A Rocha International and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation is
noteworthy.
Recommendations:
1. Internally, to encourage recording of engagement with faith groups and the sharing of
this information and good practice.
2. Working with A Rocha UK and other interested groups or individuals, to convene a
forum, seminar or workshop to explore the moral issues surrounding biodiversity
conservation and their practical implications.
3. To consider appointing a ‘faith advisor’, perhaps as an honorary post, to advise on
matters of faith and nature conservation.
4. Working with the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, to embed biodiversity issues into
the Church of England’s ethical investment policies.
5. To consider the implications of this report for conservation work in urban areas in the
UK.
6. Conservationists working with faith groups or in unfamiliar cultural settings should
receive cross-cultural training as part of their induction and personal development.
7. The RSPB and BirdLife International should explore strategic opportunities for working
in partnership with ARC and A Rocha International, as well as local opportunities for
partnering with faith groups.
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1. Why engage with faith groups?
What do house sparrows in London, vultures in Mumbai, white-headed ducks in Turkey
and yellow-eared parrots in Columbia have in common?
Apart from the obvious - that they are all birds in trouble which the RSPB or its partners in
BirdLife International are trying to help - the answer is that they are all cases where
conservationists have worked alongside faith communities to save nature. It is not just about
individual species, though; the RSPB has already partnered with faith groups on campaigns
such as Hunterston power station and Stop Climate Chaos.
In 2007, the Environment Agency surveyed 25 experts to ask them for the 50 things that will
save the planet. Second on the list was for faith groups to make the planet their priority1.
The RSPB strategy Saving Nature recognises that we have to work increasingly in
partnership with others to achieve our goals. That includes faith communities in the UK and
around the world. As this report will show, faith communities are sizable and significant,
but perhaps also overlooked. Although this project has uncovered many examples of faith
groups engaging in nature conservation, there is undoubtedly potential for further
partnership.
This report presents a number of case studies from the UK and around the world, and
makes some recommendations on how the RSPB can best work with faith communities.
1 Environment Agency, 2007
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2. Project objective and methodology
The purpose of my sabbatical project is to review the contribution, and potential
contribution, made by faith communities to nature conservation, and to make
recommendations on how the RSPB can best work with them. The scope of the review is
global and covers all faiths, but given the RSPB’s remit, pays particular attention to the UK.
There is already a significant amount of literature on this subject (see the bibliography). The
review involved some desk-based research and interviews with a number of experts who
have a good understanding of faith communities and nature conservation, which largely
took place between May and August 2012. A full list of interviewees is shown at Annex A.
This report is for internal RSPB purposes, but will be shared with all research participants,
and consideration will be given to producing a shorter report for publication. It is hoped
that the report will lead on to further partnership initiatives.
There are three related questions at the heart of the project:
1. The moral question: secular nature conservation bodies such as the RSPB may state
that there is a moral case for saving nature, but find this hard to articulate in a way
which resonates with people in faith communities. How could they do this better
and how should they articulate the intrinsic (as opposed to the instrumental or
utilitarian) value of nature?
2. The people question: how can conservation bodies work through or with the belief
systems of faith communities to bring about positive attitudes to nature?
3. The land question: how can conservation bodies influence the church (and other
major land-owning religious institutions) to manage its resources (buildings, land,
investments) positively for nature?
Interviewees were also asked for their top three recommendations for the RSPB on how it
can best work with faith communities.
7
3. Why we save nature
Beliefs of faith groups about nature
“All of the World’s major faiths can argue for better environmental management. The past
record of explicit care for the environment by faith communities can hardly be said to have
been exemplary, but over the last 20 years all of these faiths have reexamined their teachings
and beliefs in the light of the various global environmental crises. All of them have found
that they should be more active in caring for the environment, not just because this would be
a good thing to do, but because it is a natural expression of their faith. The faiths are thus
natural allies of the environmental movement.”
World Bank (2006)
The relationship between major world faiths and the natural environment is discussed in a
number of sources, and usefully summarised by WWF and Alliance of Religions and
Conservation (ARC) for eleven world religions: in alphabetical order Baha’i, Buddhism,
Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Shinto, Sikhism and
Zoroastrianism2. While all such summaries should be treated with caution (the summary of
Christian teaching, for example, seems very odd to this author!) it is a useful starting place;
all the faiths have some concept either of the earth as created by God or in some sense sacred
and therefore deserving of care.
“To summarise, whilst the various faiths have very different interpretations of sacredness in
general, and very different worldviews, none reject the concept of the importance of nature,
and emphasis on environmental and conservation issues appears to be increasing. Many
demonstrate these links very directly through recognition of sacred sites or other forms of
sacred nature. Others, whilst rejecting some of these concepts, in effect reach a similar form
of land management through teaching of good stewardship, as in the case of the Islamic
himas system.”
WWF and Alliance of Religions and Conservation (2005)
In recent decades there have been a number of declarations on environmental issues by faith
groups or statements by leaders, notably by five world faiths at Assisi in 1986 at a meeting
convened by Prince Philip as President of WWF. This meeting led to the formation of the
Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) at Windsor in 1995, which now works with all
2 WWF and ARC (2005). Summaries are also available on the ARC website: http://www.arcworld.org
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eleven world religions listed above. In 2009 nine of
these faith groups published long-term
environmental plans in partnership with the UNDP
and ARC.
Other declarations or statements within the Christian
church include:
By the Catholic Church: The Ecological Crisis A
Common Responsibility Peace With God The
Creator, Peace With All Of Creation, 1990
By the Orthodox Church: Orthodoxy and the
Ecological Crisis, 1990
By Evangelical church leaders: Declaration on the Care of Creation, 1994
Jointly by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches: Declaration on the Environment, 2002
By the Church of England: lectures by Archbishop of Canterbury, 2005 and 2009
Alongside formal declarations there is now a burgeoning literature on the relationship
between faith and nature, particularly the Christian faith, which ranges from the academic
to the popular. A number of these are cited in the bibliography (see, for example, Bauckham
(2012), Berry (2000), Bookless (2008 and 2012), Jones (2003), Marlow (2009), Rodwell (2008a,
2008b and 2010) and the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University3).
A number of reflections are in order before moving on to look more specifically at other
characteristics of faith groups.
As one of the interviewees remarked, “Of the making of declarations there is no end,” and
the green views of religious leaders or institutions, while welcome, do not necessarily
translate into either the views of individuals within faith communities or to practical action
on the ground. This may especially be the case where religious doctrines are capable of
widely different interpretations or where faiths or denominations are non-hierarchical in
nature. Independent churches by their nature will not respond to denominational initiatives,
and even in institutions like the Church of England, localism can reign supreme in the
parochial church council.
3 See http://fore.research.yale.edu/
Key finding:
All major world faiths
have some concept
either of the earth as
created by God or
sacred and therefore
deserving of care.
9
Secondly, like any secular corporate body, faith
organisations can be inconsistent in their policy; for
example, the Church of England subscribes to a
doctrine of creation care, but its ethical investment
policy is weak on biodiversity criteria.
Despite commonalities, there are important
differences between the major world faiths, and it is
important that this is recognised. As another
interviewee noted, “Don’t consider all the religions the
same, as you will alienate many.”
It is clear that over the last 20 years or so the interest of
faith groups in nature has grown dramatically,
admittedly from a very low base. The interest of secular conservation groups in faith groups,
on the other hand, was initially at least driven by WWF, although joined by other groups
with a global remit such as the World Bank and UNDP. More recently broader alliances
have been forged on the climate change agenda, particularly through Stop Climate Chaos
which has brought together a wide range of secular and faith-based organisations.
Beliefs of conservation groups about nature
Just as faith groups have certain beliefs about nature, so do conservation groups. If this
seems like a statement of the obvious, it is perhaps one of those little-questioned truths that
is worth a research project in itself. It may be hard to disentangle the beliefs of conservation
groups from the belief of individual conservationists, but there are undeniably certain group
values which shape the culture of the conservation movement.
In fact, the conservation movement is rather like a multi-denominational church. It’s a broad
church, with everyone from the establishment to the radical fringe. Individual churches
have their own supporter base, culture, values and ways of working. But there are some
deeply held convictions which unite them and give a real sense of mission. Put new staff
members in a room and they will share their testimony about how they were converted to
their love of nature.
The people who make up the RSPB – its staff, supporters and volunteers – don’t all have
exactly the same values. They represent different religions and no religion. But they do share
certain values about nature which brings them together to support the RSPB’s mission. The
RSPB’s work on brand is based on the proposition that if more people understood that
mission, more people would support us. Equally, understanding the values of people who
support the RSPB and who might support it in the future is important to the success of the
Key findings:
Declarations may not
translate into practical
action. Like any
secular body, faith
organisations can be
inconsistent in their
policy.
10
RSPB’s mission. However, it is also important to understand the values – perhaps unspoken
ones – that underlie the conservation movement, and the RSPB in particular.
The roots of conservation
Many of the fathers of natural history were Christian clergy, notably John Ray (1627-1705)
and Gilbert White (1720-1793), and the links between Christian clergy and nature
conservation are still apparent in the early history of the RSPB. Some of the earliest RSPB
leaflets were penned by clergy4, and the very first leaflet made a direct appeal to the readers’
theological values of ‘the duty of righteous and merciful dealing with every living creature,
as inseparable from the dominion given by God to man.’5
In his centenary history of the RSPB, Stamstag records the campaigning activities of the
group of ‘formidable women’ who formed the early RSPB. As typical society ladies of the
era, it is not surprising they were churchgoers: ‘On
Sundays they would go to church and record the
names of women who wore plumed hats; hectoring
letters would follow on the Monday ...’ 6
What is less well known is the close links between
the Didsbury branch of the early RSPB and the
Methodist Church. Didsbury was the home of the
Methodists’ international missionary training
centre, and they would have been exposed to
returning missionaries with wildlife reports
(Martin Palmer, pers comm.).
On the other side of the Atlantic, the influence of
the Christian faith on the pioneering
conservationist John Muir (1838-1914) is clear in his
writings; the bible was the only book he took with
him on his long walks in the American wilderness.
The budding of the conservation movement in the late nineteenth century took place in a
cultural context which was largely shaped by Christian values. If these were not always
consciously expressed, it was because they were taken for granted as part of the basic
assumptions of western society.
4 See As in a mirror. An appeal to the ladies of England against the use of birds in millinery, Rev. H Greene,
1898 and The economic value of birds, Rev. F. Jourdain, 1902. 5 Destruction of ornamental-plumaged birds. E. Phillips, 1890. 6 Samstag, T. (1988).
Key finding:
The RSPB’s beginnings
were closely linked to
Christianity. Although
the conservation
movement has multiple
roots, Christian values
are deeply embedded in
its origins.
11
This is not to say that conservation draws inspiration solely from a Christian culture; the
conservation movement has multiple roots, but the point is that Christian values are deeply
embedded in its origins.
Nor is it to say that Christianity (and religion in general) has always got it right. Lynn
White’s oft-quoted paper criticised Christianity for its role in driving environmental
degradation7, and while his thesis has received much counter-criticism, there is a sense in
which the church in modern times has been playing catch-up in its environmental
responsibilities.
Conservation in the modern era
In the era of modern conservation since world war two, conservationists have emphasised
the utilitarian and scientific reasons for saving nature. In the light of political and corporate
decision-making processes which are dominated by economic imperatives and the need for
scientific evidence, this is an understandable response and has given the conservation
movement much-needed credibility with those who pull the levers of power. Conservation
is not just about the sentimental views of nature lovers.
But after more than 100 years of conservation, we don’t seem to be winning. Adams
observed that ‘The 20th century saw conservation’s creation, but nature’s decline’8. Voices
have been pointing out that something’s missing; Shellenberger and Nordhaus concluded,
‘Environmentalists need to tap into the creative worlds of myth-making, even religion, not
to better sell narrow and technical policy proposals but rather to figure out who we are and
who we need to be.’9
As this report makes clear, faith groups have begun to rise to their environmental
responsibilities in the last twenty years or more. The large number of RSPB members who
are regular church-goers or worshippers (see p18) suggests that conservation has a lot of
resonance with Christians, even if they do not necessarily make an explicit link with their
faith.
The role of faith in conservation has likewise been increasingly recognised by
conservationists. The biologist and humanist EO Wilson appealed directly to the faith
community, deliberately using theological language in his book The creation: an appeal to save
life on earth10. Conservation groups have also recently published case studies of the work of
faith groups on environmental issues, including nature conservation,11 and there is an
7 White, L. (1967). 8 Adams, W. M. (2004). 9 Shellenberger, M & Nordhaus, T. (2004). 10 Wilson, E. O. (2006). 11 See Sierra Club (2008), WWF and ARC (2005) and WWF-UK and Sustainable Development
Commission (2005).
12
ongoing debate about religion and conservation in the scientific literature12. The recent
development of the concept of ecosystem services recognises that ecosystems may provide
cultural benefits (including spiritual and religious
benefits).
Importance of values
Recently, the Common Cause initiative has made a
compelling case for working with cultural values.13
It recognises that it is not enough just to give
people facts, but values matter: ‘Values represent
our guiding principles: our broadest motivations,
influencing the attitudes we hold and how we act.’
Researchers have identified a number of
consistently-occurring human values, classified
along two major axes: self-enhancement – self-
transcendence, and openness to change –
conservation, or more broadly as intrinsic or
extrinsic. Intrinsic values and self-transcendence
are related to environmentally-friendly
behaviours.
Common Cause notes that there are connections here to religious values, especially a fit with
self-transcendence and intrinsic values, while noting there are elements in some faith
communities which show other values more strongly. Common Causes’s guiding principles
are: explore value; nurture intrinsic values; challenge extrinsic values; see the big picture,
and work together.
These principles are relevant not only as conservation groups seek to influence others, but
need to be applied by conservation groups to themselves. The disquiet of faith groups with
ecosystem services, which is seen as a utilitarian concept, illustrates the challenge that
similar yet different values may pose to conservation groups. Genuine partnership is not just
about better selling conservation prescriptions, but involves being prepared to have
conservation philosophy challenged.
12 See for example Awoyemi et al (2012), Bhagwat, Dudley and Harrop (2011) and Bhagwat and
Palmer (2009). 13 Crompton (2010).
Key finding:
Utilitarian and scientific
reasons for saving nature
are insufficient in
themselves.
Conservation groups
should be prepared to
work with religious and
cultural values and to
have their own
philosophy challenged.
13
4. Faith groups in the UK
Characteristics14
Although the UK, in common with most west European countries, is an increasingly secular
state, religious belief is still a significant influence in the lives of a clear majority of people. In
the UK context this means specifically Christian belief, although with the presence of a small
Muslim minority and other faith groups. Estimates vary, but they suggest that between 52
and 63% of the population consider themselves to be Christian15.
Figure 1. Major UK faiths as proportion of UK population, 2010.
Source: Operation World, 2010.
Christians form the largest faith group in all local authority areas, except Tower Hamlets in
London where there were more people who identified as Muslim16.
14 A variety of sources have been consulted in the preparation of this section, but the most useful has
been the statistical information in Operation World (Mandryk, J, 7th edition, 2010. Biblica Publishing,
Colorado Springs), which itself has been compiled from a large number of sources and allows
comparative assessments of major world religions and Christian denominations (numbers of
adherents and trends over time) both globally and for individual countries. The usual caveats about
the reliability of data sources and the difficulties of measuring faith groups apply. Where relevant this
is referred to in the text here, but for a full discussion of definitions and methodology readers should
refer to Operation World, which is unfortunately not available on-line.
15 63% in the 2011 Annual Population Survey and 59% in the 2011 Census (both England and Wales
only); 60% in Operation World, 2010, 53% in Tearfund, 2007; and 52% according to npfSynergy’s
Charity Awareness Monitor, March 2012 (all UK). 16
Religion in England and Wales 2011. Office for National Statistics, December 2012.
60%
3%
34%
3%
Major UK faiths % UK population, 2010
Christian
Muslim
Non-religious
Other
14
Virtually all world faiths are represented in the
UK, but as Figure 1 shows, the Muslim
community (1.9 million people or 3.2% of the
population) is the only minority faith to account
for more than 1% of the population. More recent
information available from the 2011 Census
shows that the Muslim community has grown
significantly to 2.7 million or 4.8% of the
population in England and Wales17. The ‘other’
category includes, in descending order of size,
Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist, Chinese and
Baha’i faith groups (see Annex B for details).
Total size alone is no indication of significance,
especially at a local level. Data from the 2001
Census has been mapped at district authority level for England, which shows a clear
concentration of minority faith groups in major metropolitan areas and cities such as
London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Leicester18. This
pattern is even more pronounced in the 2011 Census; London is the most diverse region,
with more than a fifth of the population identifying with a religion other than Christianity,
and the highest proportion of Muslims (12.4%). This means that although some groups may
be too small to register as significant at the national level, they may be very significant
locally.
Figure 2. UK Christian groups by affiliation as a proportion of UK population
self-identifying as Christian. Source: Operation World, 2010.
17 Office for National Statistics, December 2012. 18
See http://www.brin.ac.uk/figures/census2011maps/, accessed 13 June 2012.
11% 2%
58%
14%
2% 2%
11%
UK Christian groups % Christian community (affiliates), 2010
Protestant
Independent
Anglican
Catholic
Orthodox
Marginal
Unaffiliated
Key finding:
More than half (59%) of
the UK population
consider themselves to
be Christian, but minority
faith groups are growing
in size and significance,
especially in major
metropolitan areas.
15
Christian groups can be defined on the basis of affiliates, formal members or regular church-
goers. Figure 2 shows the size of denominational groupings as a proportion of the part of the
UK population which self-identifies as Christian (i.e. affiliates, the broadest definition).
The chart, which groups churches in ‘MegaBlocs’19, shows the influence of the Anglican
churches (mostly the Church of England, with 21.9 million people) in denominational
affiliations.
However, narrower definitions based on formal membership rather than affiliation suggest
that just under 7 million people in the UK are part of the Christian church, equivalent to 11%
of the population20. While the 2011 Census shows falling numbers of affiliates over the past
decade, these figures are likely to be affected less by secularising trends. Figure 3, based on
membership, shows a rather different picture to Figure 2; one which emphasises the
importance of the Catholic Church (2.4 million members). These statistics include more than
300 denominations (mostly in the ‘other’ category) and well over one thousand independent
churches. The difference between the charts says as much about different denominational
definitions of belonging as it does about actual church-going.
Figure 3. UK Christian groups by membership as a proportion of UK population
self-identifying as Christian. Source: Operation World, 2010.
19 A ‘MegaBloc’ is one of six major groupings of Christian denominations as used in Operation World,
which allows international comparisons. In the UK, the Marginal group includes groups such as
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Latter-day Saints (Mormons). 20 Surveys based on church-going show a different picture again, with 7.6 million UK adults attending
church monthly. 2006 survey by TNS for Tearfund among a representative poll of 7,000 UK adults.
21%
1%
20%
35%
2% 3%
18%
UK Christian groups % Christian community (members), 2010
Protestant
Independent
Anglican
Catholic
Orthodox
Marginal
Other
16
The most significant denominations by size of membership are the Catholic Church (2.4
million members), the Anglican churches (mostly the Church of England with 1.2 million
members, but also the Church of Ireland, the
Church in Wales and the Scottish Episcopal
Church), the Church of Scotland (500,000
members), the Methodist Church of Great Britain
(260,000 members) and the Presbyterian Church
in Ireland (197,000 members).
On alternative definitions of significance the
Church of England heads the table, whether by
number of congregations (16,100, followed by the
Methodist Church with 5,500) or number of
affiliates (21.9 million people, followed by the
Catholic Church with 5.35 million). Comparative
data on land ownership is more difficult to
obtain, but the Church of England has sizable
property investments, including over 40,000 ha
of agricultural land, as well as residential and
commercial property21 (see case study).
As with world faiths in the UK, this summary hides significant differences in the different
nations of the UK, and within nations. In Wales, the influence of nonconformist (ie non-
episcopal) churches and chapels has been historically significant, but decline in church
attendance has been higher than in any other part of the UK; the decline in Welsh-speaking
churches has been particularly dramatic (12% of adult population is churchgoing), and the
2011 Census shows that the highest proportion of people reporting no religion is in Wales
(almost one-third).
In Northern Ireland, despite declines, church attendance is markedly higher than the rest of
the UK (45%). The main denomination in Scotland, the presbyterian Church of Scotland, is
also experiencing significant decline in church membership, but at 18%, churchgoing is still
higher than in England, where it is close to average at 14%).22
However, the general picture of church decline in church affiliation and membership masks
variations between denominations and within denominations. Evangelical churches (a
belief-centred grouping which cuts across denominations and has some five and a half
million affiliates) are stable and independent churches are experiencing growth, particularly
among ethnic minorities (there is some overlap between these categories)23. Nearly one
21 The Church Commissioners for England, Annual Report 2011. 22 All figures from Churchgoing in the UK, Ashworth et al. for Tearfund, 2007. 23 Operation World, 2010.
Key finding:
Around 7 million adults in
the UK are formal church
members, mostly in the
Catholic Church and
Church of England.
Churchgoing is highest in
Northern Ireland and
London, and lowest in
Wales.
17
million adults attend ethnic minority churches. As with world faiths, this is largely an urban
phenomenon, especially in larger metropolitan areas such as London, which has the highest
number of churchgoers in the UK after Northern Ireland (22%)24.
In conclusion, despite decline it is clear that the Christian church remains both a large
audience and a very varied one, while Muslim and other faith groups as well as ethnic
minority churches are becoming increasingly significant in urban audiences.
Demographics of faith groups and RSPB supporters
Surveys suggest that the demographics of church goers, as well as RSPB supporters, are
biased towards older age groups. According to one recent market survey in March 201225,
20% of people over 65 years old described themselves as active Christians, compared to 17%
of existing RSPB supporters and only 13% of people in general, although there is not a
straightforward correlation between age, active Christianity or RSPB support (Figures 4 and
5).
Faith demographics
“Which best describes your faith?”
39%35% 36%
40% 40%32%
53%48% 46%
30%25%
21%
11%14%
19% 14%8%
10%
11%
7% 11%
16%
11%
40% 39%31%
38%44%
22%
27%
9% 11% 14%9% 8% 9% 13% 17%
10% 8% 7%
No faith, 37%
Active Christian, 13%
20%
Non practising
Christian, 39% 52%57%
46%33%
47%
Other, 10%7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Total Male Female AB C1 C2 DE 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Mar 12, nfpSynergy
Figure 4. Faith demographics in Britain: gender, socio-economic status and age
24 Ashworth et al. for Tearfund, 2007. 25
March 2012 Charity Awareness Monitor by nfpSynergy, based on 1,000 adults aged 16+ in Britain.
18
Support for RSPB
“From the list below please tick those charities you would consider yourself to be a supporter of (irrespective of whether you have given them money or time recently) and those you would consider supporting in the future.” RSPB
10% 11% 10% 10% 10% 9%12%
9%6%
8% 8%12%
17%
18%19%
18% 17% 18% 21%19% 26%
22%20%
17%11%
14%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Total Male Female AB C1 C2 DE 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
Potential supporters
Existing supporters
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Mar 12, nfpSynergy
Figure 5: RSPB demographics: gender, socio-economic status and age
Information on the relationship between faith and support for the RSPB is also available
from survey data. Two recent surveys suggest that between 15 and 20% of RSPB supporters
are regular worshippers or church goers, and the second of these surveys suggests that
regular worshippers show a marginally higher tendency than non-church goers (42%
against 39%) to consider supporting the RSPB26.
Direct information on support from people in religious
minority groups is not available, but proxy data based
on language suggest that Muslims and Hindus are
represented in the RSPB membership, but at a very
low level27.
However, the March 2012 survey also suggests that
those who describe themselves as an ‘active Christian’
were less likely to consider themselves a supporter of
the RSPB (7%) compared to both the average (10%)
and ‘non-practising Christians’ (13%). On the other
26 2011 TGI Survey by Kantar Media based on an annual sample of circa 25,000 interviews which are
designed to be representative of all GB adults aged 15+; Brand Attributes Survey carried out on-line
by Research Now for nfpSynergy, a nationally representative sample of 12,000 adults carried out
between 21 October and 14 November 2011. 27 2011 TGI Survey.
Key finding:
Between 15 and 20%
of RSPB supporters are
regular worshippers or
church goers
19
hand, ‘active Christians’ were more likely (21%) to consider supporting the RSPB in future
compared with the average (18%) and with ‘non-practising Christians’ (15%) (Figure 6).
Support for RSPB
“From the list below please tick those charities you would consider yourself to be a supporter of (irrespective of whether you have given them money or time recently) and those you would consider supporting in the future.” RSPB
10% 9%7%
13%8%
18% 20%21%
15% 23%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
All respondents No faith Active Christian Non practising
Christian
Other
Potential support
Existing support
Base: 1,000 adults 16+, Britain. Source: Charity Awareness Monitor, Mar 12, nfpSynergy
Figure 6: RSPB supporters and faith
At the same time it is younger age groups (all faiths or none) who show themselves more
likely to consider supporting the RSPB in the future; the highest proportion (26%) being in
the 16-24 age group (Figure 5).
In this survey there was also a bias of active Christians to higher socio-economic groups
(19% of the AB group), whereas RSPB supporters show a fairly even spread across all socio-
economic groups, with a slight bias if any towards socio-economic groups DE (12% of
existing supporters) and C2 (21% of potential supporters) (Figures 4 and 5)28.
Although it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions from the demographic data, it is clear
that a significant proportion of RSPB supporters are regular worshippers or church goers
and are likely to continue to be so.
28 The socio-economic classification system used consists of six social grades which classify the
household social status based on the occupation of the chief income earner: AB - higher (A) or
intermediate (B) managerial, administrative or professional; C1 - supervisory or clerical, and junior
managerial, administrative or professional; C2 - skilled manual workers; DE - semi-skilled and
unskilled workers (D) & state pensioners, casual or lowest grade workers (E).
20
Faith groups and environmental action in the UK
Beliefs about nature are one thing; practical action is another. Annex C tabulates faith-based
national environmental initiatives, as well as some which are not explicitly faith-based but
have close links to faith groups. Discussions with interviewees and web-based research
suggest that the list, for the UK at least, is fairly comprehensive.
This section provides some detailed case studies for RSPB London projects and for two faith
groups which have significant potential for closer partnership working, A Rocha UK and the
Church of England. There is a further range of case studies in the report by WWF and the
Sustainable Development Commission29, which includes local as well as national case
studies, across a range of faiths and across a range of sustainable development issues.
Firstly, though, some general observations.
There are an impressive number of faith-based environmental and related initiatives in the
UK; 18 are listed in Annex C. In the Christian community, these include initiatives covering
general environmental and sustainability issues as well as biodiversity and climate change
specifically, and all the main historic denominations. There are also initiatives from the
Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist faiths.
Having said that, some of the initiatives are little more than networks or websites, many of
them are very small, and not all of them work on projects in the UK. WWF-UK and SDC
noted that their case studies were predominantly from the Christian community; perhaps
not surprising given the characteristics of faith
groups in the UK.
Faith groups are already well-engaged in climate
change issues. Operation Noah is the Christian
community’s climate change campaign, the Church
of England’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign is
heavily focussed on reducing carbon and eight of
the initiatives listed in Annex C are members of
Stop Climate Chaos.
The aid and development agencies (CAFOD,
Christian Aid, Tearfund and Islamic Relief) play a
leading role in connecting faith groups with issues
of public policy on the environment, particularly
but not only on climate change.
29 World Wide Fund for Nature – UK (WWF-UK) and Sustainable Development Commission (SDC),
(2005).
Key finding:
There are a significant
number of faith-based
environmental initiatives
in the UK, but at the
national level A Rocha UK
is effectively the only one
with a focus on nature.
21
National initiatives focused on biodiversity or on practical conservation projects are limited
to A Rocha UK (see case study) and the much smaller charity Caring for God’s Acre. That is
not to say that other initiatives do not include biodiversity or that there are no local
biodiversity initiatives unconnected with these organisations, but at the UK level A Rocha
UK is effectively the only faith-based group with a focus on nature.
The RSPB has some recent experience of working with faith groups, but at the local level this
is largely confined to London (see case study). Inquiries via the RSPB intranet highlighted a
visit to the Lodge reserve by the Luton and Bedford Council of Faiths, and a connection to
one of this study’s interviewees via the Dearne Valley Nature Improvement Area. In
Scotland, the RSPB-led campaign against a new power station at Hunterston was supported
by the Church of Scotland, and the RSPB also has connections with a range of faith groups
via Stop Climate Chaos. However, there must surely be other examples of engagement with
local faith groups which this project has not uncovered.
Case study - RSPB London projects
The RSPB London team has been leading the way for RSPB engagement with minority faith groups.
Its first foray was through Parsees in London, fundraising for the vulture campaign (see Vultures case
study in the International section). This was followed by a sponsored walk with Rabbi Jonathan
Wittenberg with good PR to the North London Jewish community.
More recently the team ran a project with the Dawoodi Bohra Sunni Muslims at Northolt Mosque.
They funded a giveaway of a couple of hundred bird feeders and seed to local schools and other faith
groups. It was part of a global project by the Burhani Community to help house sparrows.
The Wild Place Your Space project is a 3 year partnership between the RSPB and the Lee Valley
Regional Park Authority, London. The project aims to reach out to the area’s diverse and under-
represented communities, some of whom may have had little experience of nature.
Although not specifically set up to work with faith groups, they have provided a good way in to the
target audience, especially umbrella groups such as the London Hindu Council. Relationships have
been built with local Hindu, Jain and Sikh temples and with Muslim groups who have engaged in a
variety of conservation activities such as putting up bird boxes or building a willow dome.
The project has tapped into the natural environmental sympathies and festivals of faith communities,
such as the Sikh Vatavaran Diwas (Sikh Environment Day). The Alevi Muslim community is strongly
represented in Turkey and in London and also has strong green sympathies.
Engaging with Christian minority groups has been more challenging, but positive contact has been
made with KICC, a predominantly black mega-church, emphasising the benefits of free access to open
space rather than nature per se.
Contacts: Tim Webb, Colin Bowen, Chris Cavalier, RSPB London
22
Case study – A Rocha UK
A Rocha UK (the name is from the Portuguese, ‘the Rock’) is a Christian charity ‘working for the
protection and restoration of the natural world’. It is part of the worldwide family of A Rocha
organisations (see separate case study on A Rocha International). All A Rocha national organisations
express their values in five core commitments: Christian, conservation, community, cross-cultural, co-
operation.
A Rocha’s work encompasses practical involvement in nature conservation projects and ecological
research, campaigning on biodiversity issues and engaging with churches, schools and communities.
The supporter base is largely drawn from a range of Church of England, Baptist, Methodist, United
Reformed and independent evangelical churches and individuals, but the organisation works closely
with a wide range of secular and faith partners, including local and national government agencies.
A Rocha UK started with a single project in west London 11 years ago: Living Waterways in Southall
& Hayes was instrumental in restoring a derelict site to a wildlife-rich country park and a centre for
environmental education, working closely with a variety of religious and ethnic minority groups in
the local community. It now carries the prestigious ‘green flag’ award.
Living Waterways inspired a growing number of ‘Associated Projects’ in a variety of urban and rural
locations around the UK; locally-owned, locally-managed practical conservation projects that have a
formal relationship with A Rocha UK, but often work in close partnership with other bodies.
For example, the Chiltern Gateway Associated Project supports juniper planting with Natural
England at the Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve. The project also works with the Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust on their local reserve, and has partnered with
Friends of the Earth in its Greening Chinnor Campaign.
The Steyning Downland Scheme is based on the Wiston Estate, Sussex (adjacent to the South Downs
Nature Improvement Area). This scheme seeks to encourage the local community, with a particular
focus on young people, to engage in protecting, conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of their
surroundings for the benefit of the community, the land and its wildlife.
The St Madoc Centre in Gower, south Wales, is a Christian youth camp which mainly reaches out to
disadvantaged and disaffected young adults from deprived urban areas. Its 30 hectares of coastal
habitat, adjacent to Cwm Ivy NNR, supports a number of UK BAP priority species and is being
managed to encourage flora-rich grassland and chough habitat.
Churches are at the heart of much of A Rocha’s work, and A Rocha manages the Eco-congregation
initiative in England and Wales (in Scotland Eco-congregation is a separate organisation). Eco-
congregation is a free audit tool for churches to address environmental issues in all their spiritual,
practical and mission activities. More than 200 churches in England and Wales have received the Eco-
congregation Award.
A Rocha UK also carries out Citizen Science projects, currently partnering with the Bat Conservation
Trust to survey bats in churches, and engages in some policy advocacy, largely through its
membership of Stop Climate Chaos and has recently recruited its first policy officer.
23
Partnership opportunities
This case study suggests a number of potential partnership opportunities:
- Addressing the moral questions raised by biodiversity conservation
- Acting as a consultant on engagement with faith groups
- Partnering in advocacy opportunities with other faith groups, such as the Church of England
Contact: Andy Lester, Conservation Director, A Rocha UK
Case study – Church of England
Introduction
If the RSPB was a Christian denomination, it would probably be the Church of England. Not simply
because both have a royal patron, but both are part of the establishment, have a national and local
presence, are part of a wider international community, and have large memberships with a bias
towards older people, and a love of volunteering. Just as the Church of England is seeking to reach
new audiences through different ways of doing things (such as its ‘Fresh Expressions’ ministry), so
the RSPB is seeking to reach new audiences and perhaps become more like the urban charismatic
wing of the Anglican church than the traditionalist rural parish as caricatured by the Vicar of Dibley.
If the Church of England was a NGO, on the other hand, it might be the National Trust, with many
similar attributes and also an interest in historic buildings.
Such superficial comparisons are perhaps unfair. What is clear is that the Church of England is the
largest faith community in England (indeed, in the UK) and represents a significant opportunity for
engagement by the RSPB.
Membership and structure
Almost 22 million people would consider themselves in some sense to be affiliated to the Church of
England30, although even the 1.2 million formal members constitute a very significant community in
itself. These members form a network of 12,000 parishes, with 16,000 churches served by 8,500 priests
and 10,000 lay readers and other officers31.
The Church of England is not a single legal entity but a body of 43 dioceses and parishes. As one
interviewee noted, it is held together by law rather than policy, and the independent nature of
dioceses and parishes makes it challenging to implement national initiatives. The Archbishop of
Canterbury does not exercise power in the manner of a Catholic Pope, but more by way of personal
30 Operation World 31 Church Commissioners’ Annual Report 2011/12
24
influence. The Church’s major national institutions are the General Synod, the Archbishops’ Council,
the Church Commissioners and the Pensions Board.
As the established national church, 26 senior Bishops sit in the House of Lords. In the House of
Commons the Second Church Estates Commissioner (currently Sir Tony Baldry MP) guides church
legislation and answers questions from MPs on church matters, including once a month on the floor
of the House. Although an honorary and unpaid position, the post is effectively a Minister of State.
The parliamentary Ecclesiastical Committee, which contains both MPs and Peers, is responsible for
scrutinising Church of England legislation, prior to it being sent for approval by both Houses of
Parliament.
The General Synod, which is the law and policy-making body of the church, comprises three houses
(bishops, clergy and laity) and meets two or three times a year.
Environmental work
The Church has a seven-year environmental plan for 2009-2016. The Church’s national environmental
campaign is ‘Shrinking the Footprint’, which falls under the remit of the Archbishops’ Council. It has
a strong focus on carbon reduction, and aims to achieve a reduction of 80% in carbon emissions by
2050, with an interim target of 42% by 2020. The websites includes toolkits and case studies. Nigel
Cooper (vice-chair, Shrinking the Future steering group) is keen to extend the campaign to other
areas, especially biodiversity.
The Church’s work on biodiversity is mainly focused on churchyards, supporting the independent
charity Caring for God’s Acre, and in some places partnering with county Wildlife Trusts. There is
joint research on bats with Defra, Natural England, the Bat Conservation Trust and the University of
Bristol, and work on yews with the International Society of Arboriculture and the Ancient Yew
Group. Nesting swifts and woodpecker damage to church spires are other areas of interest.
The Church also has a wider interest in public environmental policy, notably through the Bishop of
Liverpool’s advocacy on environmental issues and very recently through the Bishop’s role as chair of
the Independent Panel on forestry.
Church Commissioners and Church of England Pension Fund
The Church Commissioners are the body responsible for managing the Church’s financial assets.
They manage an investment fund of £5.2 billion, held mainly in property and shares. While the
Commissioners are no longer top of the table of major UK landowners32, real estate makes up one-
third of their portfolio, and farm land makes up roughly one-third of property investments by value.
The rural portfolio comprises over 40,000 ha (over 100,000 acres), and there are investments in a
portfolio of 8 UK forests, including 5,500 ha of forest plantation in Scotland. The Commissioners also
hold a strategic land portfolio of 45 sites where future development is expected.
32 In 1872, the Church of England topped the list of landowners with 872,000 ha (2.2 million acres), but
by 2010 did not appear in the top ten. The RSPB was at seven. Source: Country Life, 11 November
2010.
25
There are 33 Commissioners, including the two archbishops, members of the General Synod, two
deans, nine appointees and six holders of state office (including the Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor
and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport). Policy is directed by the Board of Governors,
which includes all the Commissioners except the holders of state office, and is supported by six
committees, of which the most relevant here is the Assets Committee.
The Church of England Pension Fund has a much smaller portfolio, with net assets of about £95
million.
Ethical Investment Advisory Group
The Ethical Investment Advisory Group supports the Church of England's national investing bodies
on ethical investment - the Church Commissioners, the Church of England Pensions Board and the
CBF Church of England funds managed by CCLA. It produces ethical investment policies and
engages with companies on ethical issues on behalf of the investing bodies. The EIAG's members
include representatives of General Synod, the Archbishops' Council, the Council for Mission and
Public Affairs, the investing bodies and co-opted members.
The EIAG Secretariat supports the Church Commissioners and Church of England Pensions Board in
their participation in the activities of the Church Investors Group, the United Nations Principles for
Responsible Investment, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and the Carbon
Disclosure Project.
Ethical investment policies and research have been produced on a number of issues of relevance to
the RSPB, including on environment, climate change, supply chain, supermarkets and farmers.
However, biodiversity issues are notably absent.
Partnership opportunities
This case study suggests a number of potential partnership opportunities:
- Embed biodiversity issues in the Shrinking the Footprint campaign, perhaps with a focus on species
associated with church buildings and churchyards such as swift and spotted flycatcher.
- Establish advisory work with farms in the Church Commissioners’ agricultural estate, or seek to
include environmental conditions in new tenancy agreements.
- Embed biodiversity issues in ethical investment policies.
- Joint advocacy to Government on issues such as the future of the public forest estate.
Existing national contacts
Rev Nigel Cooper, vice-chair of Shrinking the Footprint campaign
James Featherby, chair of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group
Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool
26
Sources: much material from Church of England website: http://www.churchofengland.org/about-
us.aspx
Recommendations
1. Internally, to encourage recording of engagement with faith groups and the sharing of
this information and good practice.
2. Working with A Rocha UK and other interested groups or individuals, to convene a
forum, seminar or workshop to explore the moral issues surrounding biodiversity
conservation and their practical implications.
3. To consider appointing a ‘faith advisor’, perhaps as an honorary post, to advise on
matters of faith and nature conservation.
4. Working with the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, to embed biodiversity issues into
the Church of England’s ethical investment policies
5. To consider the implications of this report for conservation work in urban areas in the
UK.
27
5. Faith groups globally
Characteristics
Globally, the continuing importance of religious belief is illustrated in Figure 7 below. More
than half of the world population adheres to either the Christian or Muslim faith, and
Hindu, Buddhist and traditional Chinese faiths are also significant at the global scale.
Figure 7. Major world religions as a proportion of global population, 2010. Source:
Operation World, 201033.
There are of course significant regional variations; Hinduism and Buddhism are notably
concentrated in India and South-East Asia/Japan respectively, and the non-religious in
western Europe and China. At the global scale, only Christianity and to a lesser extent Islam
are truly worldwide religions.
This data also masks significant differences within
religions, such as the Sunni/Shia split within Islam
and the many branches of the Christian church
discussed further below.
Gallup polling of 143 countries which asked simply
whether religion is an important part of people’s
daily lives showed that 82% of people agreed, with
significantly high proportions in Africa, the Middle
33 Ethnoreligionists is ‘a collective term for adherents of faiths that are usually specifically confined to
a particular ethnic group rather than being open or universal. It encompasses (but is not limited to)
animists, ancestor-worshippers ...’ Operation World, 2010.
32%
23% 14%
14%
7% 6%
3% 1%
Major world religions % global population, 2010
Christian
Muslim
Hindu
Non-religious
Buddhist
Chinese
Ethnoreligionist
Other
Key finding:
Globally, 82% of people
agree that religion is an
important part of
people’s daily lives.
28
East, South and South-East Asia34. The key point is that to the vast majority of the world’s
population, faith is an important aspect of life; western Europe is atypical in this respect.
Western conservationists need to be aware of this and need to be sensitive to local religious
and cultural values in whatever part of the world they work.
Figure 8 gives more detail of the composition of global Christian communities, using the
same ‘Megablocs’ as Figure 2. The Catholic church accounts for almost half (46%) of the
worldwide Christian community.
Figure 8. Global Christian communities as a proportion of global Christian population.
Source: Operation World, 2010.
Again, this is subject to significant regional
differences, with the Catholic church outside
Europe, for example, particularly
concentrated in Latin America, francophone
and lusophone Africa and the Philippines.
The nature of the Christian church is diverse
and dynamic, so at the same time it is
important not to be misled by stereotypes or
out-of-date perceptions, as an example of
which we may note an estimate of more than
100 million Christians in China and more
than 70 million in India, both groups
growing rapidly in countries not usually
thought of as Christian in nature.
34 Gallup (2009). http://www.gallup.com/poll/114211/Alabamians-Iranians-Common.aspx.
21%
11%
4%
46%
10%
2%
6%
Global Christian communities
Protestant
Independent
Anglican
Catholic
Orthodox
Marginal
Unaffiliated
Key finding:
The Catholic Church accounts
for almost half (46%) of the
worldwide Christian
community, but the Christian
church is diverse and
dynamic, with rapid growth
in countries such as China and
India.
29
Figure 9 below is an innovative attempt to map the presence of evangelical Christians with
biodiversity hotspots and wilderness areas. Areas in blue are biodiversity hotspots where
more than 10% of the population is evangelical Christian, and it can be seen that these
represent substantial parts of Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and south-east Asia, as well
as the US, Australia and New Zealand35.
All such data has its limitations. The size of a faith group, however measured, is not
necessarily related to its significance, as the case study of vultures in India below shows.
Local knowledge will be crucial to understanding which faith groups are important in any
particular situation.
Figure 9. Convergence of evangelicals and biodiversity hotspots and wilderness areas.
Source: A Rocha International
35 Mapping from Global Mapping International. Data from conservation.org and GMI. Map produced
by Anthony Caito. Evangelical data was generated from two datasets; one language areas and the
other provinces. The percent Evangelical Christian per language area and province was calculated by
weighting each area by population and sub-religious group per country.
30
Faith groups and environmental action
Annex C tabulates faith-based international initiatives. Given the global scope of this project,
the international list is probably less complete than that for the UK. The Alliance of Religions
and Conservation (ARC), which works with eleven world religions, has already been noted
in chapter 3. ARC is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to develop
their own environmental programmes, based on
their core beliefs and practices, and links them
with key environmental organisations. WWF is a
key partner of ARC.
As noted in chapter 4, the aid and development
agencies (CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund and
Islamic Relief) play a leading role in connecting
faith groups in the UK with international
environmental issues because of their close links to
poverty, particularly but not only on climate
change.
A Rocha International is the only significant
initiative which is both faith-based, has a
biodiversity conservation focus and a global reach
(see case studies below).
Generally, there is an increasing level of awareness among international NGOs about the
importance of faith groups, as is clear in the reports by WWF (2005), the World Bank (2006)
and the BirdLife case studies below. More recently, in September 2012 the World
Conservation Congress of IUCN considered a motion that encouraged ‘cooperation with
faith-based organisations and networks that share IUCN’s spirit and objectives in order to
establish partnerships in conservation, sustainability, equitable sharing and use of resources
and appropriate responses to climate change threats.’
There is quite a focus on sacred sites in the literature, but the case studies presented below
from BirdLife International and A Rocha International deal with both threatened species and
(non-sacred) sites. The case studies show varying levels of engagement with faith groups;
some (yellow-eared parrot, vultures) are simply where a faith group has been identified as
an influential stakeholder in dealing with a conservation issue. Although this is valuable in
itself, other case studies (white-headed duck, Fiji petrel, A Rocha International) show
engagement at a deeper level in working through the belief systems of faith groups.
Key finding:
There is a significant
number of international
faith-based environment
initiatives. The work of A
Rocha International and
the Alliance of Religions
and Conservation is
noteworthy.
31
Case studies – BirdLife International
A number of BirdLife partners have worked closely with different faith groups on conservation
projects.
White-headed duck, Turkey
Doğa Derneği (BirdLife in Turkey) is helping to conserve an important wetland ecosystem in
southern Turkey at Lake Burdur, a designated IBA and Ramsar site. The lake is the world’s most
important wintering site for the threatened white-headed duck Oxyura leucocephala.
By aligning with respected local religious leaders, conservationists have been able to raise awareness
about wetland conservation and sustainable water use throughout a community—fostering
significant local support that will help safeguard the area’s wildlife.
The most innovative, and perhaps the most significant, approach of the project has been to forge an
alliance with Burdur’s Provincial Mufti. Working together, Doğa Derneği, the Provincial Mufti and
the Burdur Centre Ulu Mosque Imam Nuri Çınar drafted a sermon advocating better water
management and highlighted the responsibility of humans in protecting the environment and
wildlife. It is estimated that the sermon reached approximately 52,000 people across more than 1,000
mosques and has helped engender support for Doğa Derneği with both local government and the
region’s people. Since the project’s inception, local attitudes to the lake and its conservation have
improved dramatically and there are already signs that the area’s wildlife is responding positively.
Source: BirdLife Data Zone
Yellow-eared parrot, Columbia
Yellow-eared Parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis was once common in the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia,
but declined owing to unsustainable exploitation of the quindío wax palm upon which it is
dependent for roosting, nesting and feeding. This palm has become highly threatened owing to the
use of its fronds to adorn Palm Sunday processions. However, a highly successful publicity campaign
backed by the Catholic Church has engendered considerable public support. In combination with
active protection measures such as installing nest boxes, protecting palm seedlings and planting trees,
this has led to the parrot population increasing to over 800 birds. The campaign was established by
Fundación ProAves and Conservation International, but grew into an alliance of over 35 national
NGOs, government departments and, perhaps most importantly, the Episcopal Conference of
Colombia.
Source: BirdLife Data Zone
Land stewardship, Lebanon
The revival of the traditional Islamic hima system at the Kfar Zabad marshlands in the Bekaa Valley,
Lebanon, is empowering communities to take responsibility for managing local resources. This
approach is being championed by the Society for Protection of Nature in Lebanon (BirdLife in
Lebanon) as a part of their Important Bird Areas programme, and is helping to build capacity for local
economic enterprises, linked to the wildlife and landscape. There is now a $1 million hima
endowment fund, and the concept is being exported to other parts of the Middle East.
32
Source: BirdLife Data Zone, and David Thomas, BirdLife International
Vultures, India
Populations of three Gyps vulture species in parts of their ranges in South Asia fell by more than 95
percent in just three years in the 1990s, and all are now classified as Critically Endangered. The RSPB
has been working closely with partners such as the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to
research the causes of decline, advocate the withdrawal of the veterinary drug diclofenac and to
establish captive breeding centres.
The birds play a part in the funerary rites of some religious groups, including the Parsees (a major
branch of Zoroastrianism) in India: bodies are exposed to be stripped by vultures. In some parts of the
country vultures are now so scarce that cremation is being used as an alternative to this traditional
celestial burial. Parsees are a religious and ethnic minority group largely concentrated in the Mumbai
area of India. Although numerically small (worldwide 100,000 people, of whom around 70,000 are in
India), the Parsee community is politically and economically influential.
Although the BNHS is well-connected with the Parsee community, engagement has proved
challenging due to disagreements among Parsees as to the appropriate response to vulture decline,
including whether the role of the vultures should be replaced by technology (such as solar panels),
whether vultures could be contained in an aviary at Mumbai’s Towers of Silence or whether the
practice of funerary exposure should be abandoned altogether.
Source: BirdLife International and Chris Bowden, RSPB.
Fiji Petrel, Fiji
The upland forests of Gau are the only known nesting grounds of the critically endangered
Fiji Petrel (Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi), of which an estimated 50 breeding pairs survive.
Feral pigs have only become established in Gau’s forests in the last decade and Gau
islanders have no traditional knowledge of hunting or snaring them. Pigs can be devastating
predators of nesting petrels and so they are a very significant new threat to the Fiji Petrel.
In an effort to address this threat; NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, with funding from BirdLife International,
organised a three day pig workshop in August 2010 to introduce the technique of snaring of feral pigs
to Gau Island villagers.
All the workshop participants were of the Christian faith, and the workshop began with prayer and a
presentation by a respected local head teacher and lay preacher, who spoke about what the bible says
about biodiversity conservation, setting the scene for the rest of the workshop.
Source: O’Connor, E. (2011).
33
Case studies – A Rocha International
A Rocha International is a worldwide family of independent A Rocha organisations. From its origins
in Portugal in the 1980s, A Rocha now operates in 19 countries on five continents. All A Rocha
national organisations express their values in five core commitments: Christian, conservation,
community, cross-cultural, co-operation.
A Rocha’s work encompasses practical involvement in nature conservation projects and ecological
research, campaigning on biodiversity issues and engaging with churches, schools and communities.
A Rocha national organisations frequently work closely with BirdLife International partners, as in the
case studies here.
A Rocha UK is dealt with in a separate case study in chapter 4.
A Rocha Portugal
A Rocha Portugal was the first A Rocha project, with a field study centre established in the Algarve in
the 1980s. As with other A Rocha national organisations, A Rocha Portugal works in the fields of
community conservation, environmental education and research. The model established in Portugal
became the prototype of other national organisations, although each has adapted to the local context.
A Rocha Portugal describes itself as active both in working for the protection of the remaining
important habitats in the western Algarve, and in providing an opportunity to demonstrate the
relevance of the Christian faith to this vital issue. Recently a long-running campaign against the
destruction of protected habitat in the Alvor Estuary culminated in a successful court action in which
the landowner was fined €150,000 and given a two year suspended prison sentence. This was an
unprecedented legal outcome in Portugal. A Rocha Portugal works closely with SPEA, the BirdLife
partner in Portugal.
Sources: A Rocha Portugal website and RSPB website.
A Rocha Lebanon
A Rocha Lebanon (ARL) has been working since 1997 in the Bekaa Valley to conserve and restore the
Aammiq Wetland, the largest remaining wetland in Lebanon. ARL revived the national ringing
scheme and began a schools environmental education programme. In partnership with the Society for
the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (the Lebanese Birdlife partner) it carried out a three-year research
programme which led to the establishment of 11 new Important Bird Areas. ARL also produces
Arabic language resources for churches. Lebanon is a multi-confessional state with 18 recognised
religious communities (four Muslim, one Druze, one Jewish and 12 Christian) which had experienced
years of devastating civil war, so perhaps the most striking features of ARL has been its work in
bringing together communities which had been on different sides in the civil war, through their
shared need to protect their water supply and the health of their surroundings.
Source: Operation World and A Rocha newsletter, spring 2012. See also the Wild Lebanon website.
34
A Rocha Kenya
Kenya is a predominantly Christian country (estimated at 83%), although with significant Muslim
(8%) and ethnoreligionist (7%) minorities. A Rocha Kenya (ARK) was established in 1999 and opened
a field study centre at Watamu on the coast, in an area considered internationally important for bird
and marine conservation. Despite the richness and diversity of local habitats in this area, an
exploding population and high levels of poverty are putting a huge strain on the delicate relationship
between the local people and the surrounding environment. ARK’s work focuses on four main areas:
environmental education, community conservation, the field study centre and research and
monitoring. ARK works closely with Nature Kenya (the BirdLife partner), including on campaigns
such as the Tana River Delta and Jakatcha Woodlands.
Sources: Operation World and A Rocha Kenya website.
Local and global: working in partnership
Working in partnership is a strong feature of the RSPB’s strategy Saving Nature, and applies
equally in the UK and internationally; the comments in this section therefore apply as much
to the UK chapter.
In their work around the world, both the RSPB and BirdLife International will frequently
come into contact with faith groups and individuals who do not share a western secular
worldview. Partnership working can take place at a number of levels, where specific help
may be required on engaging with faith groups. At the personal level, cross-cultural training
for conservationists working in such situations should be an essential part of staff induction
and development. There may be specific local opportunities for partnering with faith
groups, as illustrated in the case studies, but there may also be strategic opportunities for the
RSPB and BirdLife International to work in partnership with ARC and (especially in
predominantly Christian countries) A Rocha International, not merely on the conservation
of specific species or habitats, but working through the belief systems of faith communities
to bring about positive attitudes to nature. These issues could be explored further through
BirdLife’s emerging ‘Birds, Culture and Society’ work.
Finally, though, a word of caution on an issue raised by several interviewees. It can be
tempting for secular conservation bodies to invest solely in relationships with multi- or
inter-faith or ecumenical initiatives on the grounds that you get more ‘bang for your buck’.
While these no doubt have their place, they do not guarantee that the secular body will
engage with the whole of the intended audience; indeed, they may guarantee that you will
not. Most faith groups represent a spectrum of belief and traditions (sometimes only
comprehensible to those on the inside!) including a spectrum of views about who else it is
possible to work with, on what issues, and even the desirability of working with others in
35
the first place. The tendency is for multi-faith and ecumenical initiatives to appeal to those at
the liberal end of the spectrum, whereas those at the conservative end may not engage on
principle36. Such initiatives can all-too easily become a lowest common denominator
approach and alienate as many people as they include. A secular analogy might be Defra
only ever engaging with Wildlife and Countryside Link, and never on a bilateral basis with
the RSPB.
Recommendations
6. Conservationists working with faith groups or in unfamiliar cultural settings should
receive cross-cultural training as part of their induction and personal development.
7. The RSPB and BirdLife International should explore strategic opportunities for working
in partnership with ARC and A Rocha International, as well as local opportunities for
partnering with faith groups.
The UK recommendations (see chapter 4) are also relevant in an international context.
36
Thus according to Berry (2000) for example, An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation
(representing a theologically conservative viewpoint) arose from frustration at the theologically
liberal conclusions of the World Council of Churches consultation on the ‘Justice, Peace and the
Integrity of Creation’ at Seoul in 1990.
36
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39
Annex A
Interviewees
Interviewees were selected to provide expert opinion on the role of faith communities in
nature conservation. They were initially selected on the basis of personal contacts, but
further interviews were carried out on the basis of recommendations by the initial
interviewees and desk-based research. The interviewees are not intended to be
representative of all faith groups, but were deliberately selected to be able to give insightful
comments on faith groups and conservation in the UK, a broader global overview, or to
represent organisations most likely to partner with the RSPB. Not everyone who was
approached responded to the invitation.
Interviews took place between May and August 2012 either in person or by telephone. A
semi-structured approach was used, with a set of standard questions. Where time limited
this approach, interviewees were asked for their top three recommendations for the RSPB on
how it can best work with faith communities.
Interviewees
Rev David Bookless Advisor for Theology and Churches, A Rocha International
Rev Nigel Cooper Vice-chair, Shrinking the Footprint campaign
Rev Peter Harris Founder, A Rocha International
Andy Lester Conservation Director, A Rocha UK
Dr Hilary Marlow Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge
Chris Naylor Executive Director, A Rocha International
David Nussbaum Chief Executive, WWF-UK
Martin Palmer Secretary-General, The Alliance of Religions and Conservation
Prof John Rodwell Independent consultant and former Professor of Ecology,
University of Lancaster
Dr Simon Stuart Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission
David Thomas Head of Communities and Livelihoods, BirdLife International
Other organisations approached
Fauna and Flora International
Friends of the Earth
Islamic Relief
Sierra Club
40
Recommendations
The recommendations are clustered by the three related questions at the heart of the project
(see section 2).
The moral question
Talk about values, using language that makes deep sense to Christians, but also to
others (DB)
High-level seminar/workshop to discuss moral case for saving nature (DB)
Address raison d’etre for conservation movement (AL)
Rethink the terms of your basic mission, the models of conservation (JR)
Be prepared to discuss core beliefs and values (MP)
Unpack the basis for the RSPB’s ethical position (HM)
Be prepared for mutual challenges in partnerships, eg RSPB challenged to think
about faith, AR challenged to think about what is distinctively Christian (HM)
Conservationists should be friendly challengers to the church, but to be in a real
partnership, must be prepared to be challenged too (NC)
British conservation has to look at the cultural context. It has to help people answer
the moral question (CN)
The people question
Use strategic partnerships, eg with AR or denominations (DB)
Work with partners. The RSPB doesn’t have to do these things itself, but needs to
work with those who speak the language (CN)
Work on the ground, including in urban areas, eg in Futurescapes or NIAs (DB)
Make practical lifestyle suggestions (PH)
Find a trusted advocate within each faith group (PH)
Bury this within public engagement; don’t do it specifically as reaching faith
communities (but could embed a project officer as liaison with faith communities)
(PH)
Engage in practical projects, eg Church Commissioners, churchyards (NC)
Include the church in public policy and campaigning (NC)
Partnerships would be best on an in-country programme basis, where the RSPB is a
supporting partner to a national organisation (DT)
Be sensitive to local cultural values by listening to local partners (DT)
Look at faith communities as advocacy targets (DN)
Internationally, encourage partners to look at their faith connections (DN)
Ask whether you can build a domestic support base more strongly using faith
communities (DN)
Don’t consider all religions the same, as you will alienate many (SS)
Address the conservative faith groups, even if it’s uncomfortable (SS)
41
Recognise the importance of faith groups, especially internationally. It needs to be
built into your work (CN)
Wonder, stories, are as important as any quantifiable asset. Open people’s eyes to
nature (JR)
Invite faiths to tell you what they’re doing (MP)
The land question
Contact Church Commissioners (DB)
Identify where the Church Commissioners’ tenanted farmland is (SS)
General
Find ways to engage communities (a) in the places they worship, (b) outside their
places of worship, (c) on RSPB reserves (AL)
Make faith communities feel welcome. Engage with that side of people (HM)
Encourage local partnerships (HM)
Staff training to encourage them to respect and encourage faith groups (HM)
Go to the upstream sources of influence such as the City and corporate sector (PH)
Engage with the church through networking, conferences and events (NC)
Have some ideas on what could be the next two or three steps (MP)
42
Annex B
Faith groups – detailed data
All data from Operation World, 2010
UK religions (see Figure 1)
UK pop % Population Growth pa%
Christian 59.66 37,066,649 -0.8
Non-religious 34.49 21,428,574 2.8
Muslim 3.20 1,988,154 2.2
Hindu 0.94 584,020 1.4
Sikh 0.63 391,418 1.5
Jewish 0.40 248,519 -0.4
Buddhist 0.34 211,241 3.1
Chinese 0.10 62,130 0.5
Baha'i 0.02 12,426 0.5
Other 0.22 136,686 2.5
Total 100.00 62,129,817
UK Christian communities (see Figure 2)
UK pop % Affiliates Growth pa%
Anglican 36.23 22,509,000 -0.8
Catholic 8.61 5,350,000 -0.3
Protestant 6.91 4,293,000 -1.1
Independent 1.36 845,000 1.8
Orthodox 1.06 660,000 0.5
Marginal 0.89 552,000 -0.6
Unaffiliated 6.95 4,321,000 0.3
Doubly affiliat’d -2.25 - 1,400,000 0
Total 59.76 37,130,000
43
Global religions (see Figure 7)
World pop % Population Growth pa%
Christian 32.29 2,229,951,315 1.2
Muslim 22.90 1,581,765,792 1.9
Hindu 13.88 958,695,903 1.2
Non-religious 13.58 937,904,918 0.7
Buddhist 6.92 478,164,008 1.3
Chinese 5.94 409,917,596 0
Ethnoreligionist 3.00 206,942,003 0.6
Other 0.85 58,613,020 0.8
Sikh 0.35 23,990,543 1.4
Jewish 0.21 14,523,554 0.3
Baha'i 0.09 6,181,049 0.9
Total 100.00 6,906,649,701
Global Christian communities (see Figure 8)
World pop % Affiliates Growth pa% Christian pop %
Catholic 15.78 1,089,734,865 0.6 46.50
Protestant 7.20 496,978,493 1.8 21.20
Independent 3.73 257,390,482 2.6 11.00
Orthodox 3.52 243,133,169 0.2 10.40
Anglican 1.18 81,565,557 1.6 3.50
Marginal 0.66 45,295,532 1.9 1.90
Unaffiliated 1.90 131,063,056 1.3 5.60
Doubly affiliat’d -1.61 - 111,267,574 0
Total 32.34 2,233,893,580
100.10
44
Annex C
Faith-based environmental initiatives
UK
Note that the distinction here between UK and International is not clear-cut as many UK
organisations work internationally.
CHRISTIAN – NON-DENOMINATIONAL
Organisation or initiative Description (text mostly taken from organisations’ own or linked
websites) and comment (in italics)
A Rocha UK
www.arocha.org/gb-
en/index.html
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
A Rocha UK is part of an international Christian organization
which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research,
environmental education and community-based conservation
projects.
Council of Reference includes Prof Graham Ashworth, Dr Andy
Gosler, Sir John Houghton, Rt Rev James Jones, Prof Sir Ghillean
Prance, Dr Elaine Storkey.
Biodiversity focus, engaged in a number of practical conservation projects
around the UK – see case study
Ecocongregations
www.ecocongregation.org
Ecocongregations is an ecumenical programme helping churches
make the link between environmental issues and Christian faith,
and respond in practical action in the church, in the lives of
individuals, and in the local and global community. In England and
Wales it is run by A Rocha.
Environmental focus, using simple auditing tools for congregations who
can apply to become an ‘ecocongregation’.
Christian Ecology Link
www.christian-ecology.org.uk
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
CEL is a multi-denominational UK Christian organisation for
people concerned about the environment. CEL offers insights into
ecology and the environment to Christian people and churches and
offers Christian insights to the Green movement. Publishes Green
Christian magazine.
Patrons: Rt Rev James Jones, Fr Sean McDonagh, Rev Dr Ruth
Page, Jonathon Porritt, Prof Sir Ghillean Prance, Dr Elaine Storkey.
General environmental focus. A network rather than a hands-on delivery
body.
John Ray Initiative
www.jri.org.uk
The John Ray Initiative (JRI) is an educational charity with a vision
to bring together scientific and Christian understandings of the
environment in a way that can be widely communicated and lead
45
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
to effective action. It was formed in 1997 in recognition of the
urgent need to respond to the global environmental crisis and the
challenges of sustainable development and environmental
stewardship.
JRI’s mission is to promote responsible environmental stewardship
in accordance with Christian principles and the wise use of science
and technology.
President: Sir John Houghton. Patrons include Lady Elizabeth
Catherwood, Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Lord Deben, Prof Sir
Ghillian Prance.
Environmental focus with strong links to the scientific community.
Churches Together in Britain
and Ireland
www.ctbi.org.uk/CJ/10
Ecumenical body with membership among the major historic
denominations. Environment and climate change is one of CTBI's
three themed-based work areas.
Operation Noah
www.operationnoah.org
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
A Christian organisation which provides leadership, focus and
inspiration in response to the growing threat of catastrophic climate
change endangering God’s creation.
Operation Noah was founded in 2001 by Christian Ecology Link
(CEL) and later became a joint project of CEL and the
Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and
Ireland. Operation Noah was the first Christian campaign to focus
exclusively on the urgent need to address climate change.
CAFOD
www.cafod.org.uk
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
CAFOD is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales.
We work with partners in more than 40 countries across the world
to bring hope, compassion and solidarity to poor communities,
standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice. We
work with people of all faiths and none.
Development focus.
Christian Aid
www.christianaid.org.uk/index.
aspx
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world
can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live
a full life, free from poverty.
We work globally for profound change that eradicates the
causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and
freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality. We are part of
a wider movement for social justice.
We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where
need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root
causes.
46
Development focus.
Tearfund
www.tearfund.org/en
Member of Stop Climate Chaos
Tearfund is a Christian international aid and development agency
working globally to end poverty and injustice, and to restore
dignity and hope in some of the world’s poorest communities.
We operate in more than fifty countries around the world. As well
as being present in disaster situations and recovery through our
response teams, we speak out on behalf of poor people on the
national and international stage by petitioning governments,
campaigning for justice and raising the profile of key poverty
issues.
Development focus, with close links to evangelical churches.
CHRISTIAN – DENOMINATIONAL
Church of England
Shrinking the Footprint
www.shrinkingthefootprint.org
Church of England’s national environmental project, largely
focused on carbon reduction.
See Church of England case study.
Creation Challenge
www.creationchallenge.org.uk
The environmental network of the Methodist Church in Britain,
the United Reformed Church and the Baptist Union of Great
Britain.
JEWISH
Noah Project
www.biggreenjewish.org
Founded in 1997, the Noah Project is Britain’s only Jewish
ecological group set up to promote ‘education, celebration and
action’ for the environment within the Jewish community. It has
support from all five major denominations and from secular Jews.
MUSLIM
Islamic Foundation for
Ecology and
Environmental Sciences
www.ifees.org.uk
Fazlun Khalid, Director of IFEES and a consultant for WWF, believes that
protecting the environment is a form of worship, and that humans have a
basic right to the benefits of a healthy planet. "As the guardians of Allah's
creation we have a responsibility to protect the environment," he says.
UK-based, but projects are international.
Islamic Relief
http://www.islamic-
Islamic international aid and development charity.
47
relief.org.uk/index.aspx
Member of Stop Climate
Chaos
Projects include health and water but not explicitly environmental.
OTHER
Arthur Rank Centre
http://www.arthurrankcentre.or
g.uk/
Christian charity serving rural churches and their communities.
Formerly (?) hosted Living Churchyards project, which has links to the
Alliance of Religions and Conservation. See also Caring for God’s Acre.
Black Environment Network
http://www.ben-
network.org.uk/index.asp
Not explicitly faith-based, but close association with faith groups through
its work to encourage participation by ethnic minority groups.
Caring for God’s Acre
www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk
Conservation charity for churchyards and burial grounds. Its initial
focus was within the Diocese of Hereford, but it has extended its
remit.
Not explicitly faith-based, but close association with churches and the
Church of England in particular through the nature of its work.
Earth Abbey
www.earthabbey.com
EarthAbbey aspires to be a (virtual) prophetic community, acting
out a message of radical change, and focussed on the need to live
more in tune with the earth. We work to promote
• A rich relational life between human beings
• A compassion toward the earth and its creatures
• A sense of interconnectedness of all life
• Wisdom and justice in relationships
• Human fulfilment and the nurture of the inner life
• A way of living that leaves the earth better than we found it
The Quiet Gardens Trust
www.quietgarden.org
Christian-based organization which encourages the provision of a
variety of local venues where there is an opportunity to set aside
time to rest and to pray.
48
International
CHRISTIAN
A Rocha International
www.arocha.org/int-en/index.html
A Rocha is an international Christian organization which,
inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research,
environmental education and community-based
conservation projects. ARI works in 19 countries on 5
continents.
ARI Council of Reference includes Prof Sam Berry, Rt Rev
James Jones, Dr Simon Stuart (IUCN), Dr Juliet Vickery
(RSPB).
Biodiversity focus with a range of practical conservation projects
around the world.
Ecocongregations
www.ecocongregation.org
Ecocongregations works in the UK, Ireland, Canada,
Norway and Hungary. It is an ecumenical programme
helping churches make the link between environmental
issues and Christian faith, and respond in practical action in
the church, in the lives of individuals, and in the local and
global community. In England, Wales and Canada it is run
by A Rocha.
Au Sable Institute of Environmental
Studies, Michigan
http://ausable.org
The historic mission of Au Sable Institute is the integration
of knowledge of the Creation with biblical principles to
bring the Christian community and the general public into a
better understanding of the Creator and the stewardship of
His creation.
Plant with Purpose
http://www.plantwithpurpose.org/
US-based Plant With Purpose is a Christian, environmental
non-profit organization that transforms lives in rural areas
worldwide where poverty is caused by deforestation.
Focusing on holistic solutions to poverty, Plant With
Purpose has been restoring the lives of the rural poor for
over 25 years by planting trees, creating economic
opportunity through micro-credit and micro-enterprise,
implementing sustainable agriculture programs, and
encouraging spiritual renewal.
Blessed Earth
http://www.blessedearth.org/
US-based Blessed Earth is an educational nonprofit that
inspires and equips people of faith to become better
stewards of the earth. Through church, campus, and media
outreach, we build bridges that promote measurable
environmental change and meaningful spiritual growth.
Care of Creation
www.careofcreation.net
US-based charity with affiliated project in Kenya.
49
Restoring Eden
http://restoringeden.org
US-based movement of like-minded people who see a strong
connection between our Christian spirituality and our role as
caretakers of creation.
Evangelical Environmental Network
http://creationcare.org/
US-based ministry which seeks to equip, inspire, disciple,
and mobilize God's people in their effort to care for God's
creation.
JEWISH
Green Zionist Alliance
http://www.greenzionism.org/
US-based secular Jewish charity, focused on Israel’s
environment.
HINDU
Bhumi Project
http://bhumiproject.org
The Bhumi Project is a worldwide Hindu response to the
environmental issues facing our planet. The initiative is
facilitated by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, in
partnership with the Alliance of Religions and
Conservation. The Project’s 9-year plan centres on
networking, action and education.
BUDDHIST
Ecobuddhism
http://www.ecobuddhism.org/
A Buddhist response to global warming.
INTER-FAITH
Alliance of Religions and
Conservation
www.arcworld.org
ARC is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to
develop their own environmental programmes, based on their own core
teachings, beliefs and practices.
We help the religions link with key environmental organisations –
creating powerful alliances between faith communities and conservation
groups.
ARC was founded in 1995 by HRH Prince Philip. We now work with 11
major faiths through the key traditions within each faith.
ARC's strategy is twofold: to help faiths realise their potential to be
proactive on environmental issues and to help secular groups recognise
this and become active partners.
WWF was involved in setting up ARC and is a key partner.
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Cover page photo credits
House sparrow Passer domesticus Ray Kennedy, rspb-images.com
Oriental white-backed vulture Gyps bengalensis Guy Shorrock, rspb-images.com
White-headed duck Oxyura leucocephala Marco Valentini
Yellow-eared parrot Diego Calderon,
www.columbiabirding.com