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.

5

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

6

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

8

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

Bibliography

Adams, W. M. (2004). Against extinction: the story of conservation. Earthscan Publications,

London.

Ashworth, J, Research Matters & Farthing, I. (2007). Churchgoing in the UK. Tearfund.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/03_04_07_tearfundchurch.pdf

Awoyemi, S.M., Gambrill, A., Ormsby, A. and Vyas, D. (2012). Global efforts to bridge religion

and conservation: are they really working?, Topics in Conservation Biology, Tony Povilitis (ed.),

InTech. http://www.intechopen.com/books/topics-in-conservation-biology/global-efforts-to-

bridge-religion-and-conservation-are-they-really-working

Bauckham, R. (2012). Living with other creatures. Green exegesis and theology. Paternoster,

Milton Keynes.

Berry, R. J. (ed) (2000). The care of creation. Focusing concern and action. Inter-Varsity Press,

Leicester.

Bhagwat, S. A. & Palmer M., (2009). Conservation: the world's religions can help. Nature 461

(7260): 37.

Bhagwat, S. A., Dudley N. & Harrop S., (2011). Religious following in biodiversity hotspots:

challenges and opportunities for conservation and development. Conservation Letters 4: 234−240.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2011.00169.x

Bookless, D. (2008). Planetwise: dare to care for God’s world. Inter-Varsity Press, Nottingham.

Bookless, D. (2012). Faith in Nature? What part can faith-based wisdom play in shaping a

sustainable future? Talk given at 'Values in Transition' conference held on 12 May 2012 at

Exeter University.

CAFOD (2002). The call of creation. God’s invitation and the human response. Catholic Bishops’

Conference of England and Wales. http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Home/News-

Releases/Benchmark/Call-of-Creation-CAFOD-2008

Church Commissioners for England (2011). Church Commissioners Annual Report 2011.

http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1438731/church%20commissioners%20annual%20r

eport%202011.pdf

Church of England (2009). Church and earth 2009-2016. The Church of England’s seven-year plan

on climate change and the environment. http://www.arcworld.org/downloads/Christian-CofE-

7YP.pdf

Church of England (2012). Ethical Investment Advisory Group Annual Review 2011/12.

http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1484182/eiag%20annual%20review%202012.pdf

37

Crompton, T. (2010). Common Cause: the case for working with our cultural values. WWF-UK.

http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/campaigning/strategies_for_change/?uNewsID=4224

Environment Agency, (2007). The fifty things that will save the planet, Your Environment Extra,

Issue 17, (http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEHO0907BNFQ-E-E.pdf;

accessed May 2012)

Jones, J. (2003). Jesus and the earth. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London.

Mandryk, J. (2010). Operation World. Biblica Publishing, Colorado Springs.

Marlow, H. (2009). Biblical prophets and contemporary environmental ethics: re-reading Amos,

Hosea and First Isaiah. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

O’Connor, E. (2011). Gau Island feral pig control workshop and follow-up report. Nature Fiji,

BirdLife International and Forest and Bird.

Palmer, M (2003). Faith in Conservation. New approaches to religions and the environment. World

Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTBIODIVERSITY/214584-

1112712965549/20480342/FaithInConservationNewApproachesPreface2003.pdf

Rodwell, J. S. (2008a). Remembering the land, in Crucible, October 2008. See

http://www.mbreckitttrust.org/reckittlecture2007.html

Rodwell, J. S. Forgetting the land, in Studies in Christian Ethics 21, 103-120 (2008b). See

http://www.mbreckitttrust.org/reckittlecture2006.html

Rodwell, J. S., Being well in creation, in Atherton, J.R., Graham, E.L. & Steedman, I. (eds.)

(2010). The practices of happiness: political economy, religion and wellbeing. Routledge.

Samstag, T. (1988). For love of birds. The story of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 1889-

1988. The RSPB, Beds.

Shellenberger, M. and Nordhaus, T. (2004). The death of environmentalism: global warming

politics in a post-environmental world.

Sierra Club, (2008). Faith in action: communities of faith bring hope for the planet.

www.sierraclub.org/ej/downloads/faithinactionreport2008.pdf (accessed April 2012)

White, L. (1967). ‘The historical roots of our ecological crisis’, Science, 155, pp. 1203-7.

Wilson, E. O. (2006). The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. W. W. Norton & Company,

Inc, New York.

World Bank Report, (2006). Faiths and the environment: World Bank support 2000-05

http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/06/6968737/faiths-environment-world-

bank-support-2000-05 (accessed May 2012)

38

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC),

(2005). Beyond belief: linking faiths and protected areas to support biodiversity conservation,

http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/beyondbelief.pdf (accessed May 2012)

World Wide Fund for Nature – UK (WWF-UK) and Sustainable Development Commission

(SDC), (2005). Sustainable development and UK faith groups: two sides of the same coin?

http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/data/files/publications/SDandUKFaithGroupsv2_1.pdf

(accessed May 2012)

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.

50

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