Saving Nature with Faith Communities

Working in partnership for nature in the UK and around the world

Sabbatical Report, April 2013

Simon Marsh

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 7  Beliefs of conservation groups about nature 9

4. Faith groups in the UK  Characteristics 13  Demographics of faith groups and RSPB supporters 17  Faith groups and environmental action in the UK 20  Case studies 21  Recommendations 26

5. Faith groups globally  Characteristics 27  Faith groups and environmental action 30  Case studies 31  Local and global: working in partnership 34  Recommendations 35

Bibliography 36

Annexes

A Interviewees 39

B Faith groups – detailed data 42

C Faith-based environmental initiatives 44

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.

 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.

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

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:

Interviewees were also asked for their top three recommendations for the RSPB on how it can best work with faith communities.

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

7 eleven world religions listed above. In 2009 nine of these faith groups published long-term Key finding: environmental plans in partnership with the UNDP and ARC. All major world faiths

have some concept Other declarations or statements within the Christian church include: either of the earth as created by God or  By the Catholic Church: The Ecological Crisis A sacred and therefore Common Responsibility Peace With God The deserving of care. 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/

Secondly, like any secular corporate body, faith organisations can be inconsistent in their policy; for Key findings: example, the Church of England subscribes to a doctrine of creation care, but its ethical investment Declarations may not policy is weak on biodiversity criteria. translate into practical action. Like any Despite commonalities, there are important secular body, faith differences between the major world faiths, and it is organisations can be important that this is recognised. As another inconsistent in their interviewee noted, “Don’t consider all the religions the policy. 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

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 Key finding:

What is less well known is the close links between The RSPB’s beginnings the Didsbury branch of the early RSPB and the were closely linked to Methodist Church. Didsbury was the home of the Christianity. Although Methodists’ international missionary training the conservation centre, and they would have been exposed to movement has multiple returning missionaries with wildlife reports (Martin Palmer, pers comm.). roots, Christian values are deeply embedded in On the other side of the Atlantic, the influence of its origins. 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).

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).

11 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 Key finding:

Recently, the Common Cause initiative has made a Utilitarian and scientific 13 compelling case for working with cultural values. reasons for saving nature It recognises that it is not enough just to give are insufficient in people facts, but values matter: ‘Values represent our guiding principles: our broadest motivations, themselves. influencing the attitudes we hold and how we act.’ Conservation groups Researchers have identified a number of should be prepared to consistently-occurring human values, classified work with religious and along two major axes: self-enhancement – self- cultural values and to transcendence, and openness to change – have their own conservation, or more broadly as intrinsic or philosophy challenged. 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).

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.

Major UK faiths % UK population, 2010

34% Christian Muslim 60% Non-religious Other

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.

Virtually all world faiths are represented in the UK, but as Figure 1 shows, the Muslim Key finding: community (1.9 million people or 3.2% of the population) is the only minority faith to account More than half (59%) of for more than 1% of the population. More recent the UK population information available from the 2011 Census consider themselves to shows that the Muslim community has grown be Christian, but minority significantly to 2.7 million or 4.8% of the population in England and Wales17. The ‘other’ faith groups are growing category includes, in descending order of size, in size and significance, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist, Chinese and especially in major Baha’i faith groups (see Annex B for details). metropolitan areas.

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.

UK Christian groups % Christian community (affiliates), 2010

2% 2% 2% 11% 11% Protestant Independent 14% Anglican Catholic

58% Orthodox Marginal Unaffiliated

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.

Christian groups can be defined on the basis of affiliates, formal members or regular churchgoers. 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.

UK Christian groups % Christian community (members), 2010

18% Protestant 3% 21% 2% 1% Independent Anglican 20% Catholic 35% Orthodox Marginal Other

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.

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 Key finding: (260,000 members) and the Presbyterian Church Around 7 million adults in in Ireland (197,000 members). the UK are formal church On alternative definitions of significance the members, mostly in the Church of England heads the table, whether by Catholic Church and number of congregations (16,100, followed by the Church of England. Methodist Church with 5,500) or number of Churchgoing is highest in affiliates (21.9 million people, followed by the Catholic Church with 5.35 million). Comparative Northern Ireland and data on land ownership is more difficult to London, and lowest in obtain, but the Church of England has sizable Wales. 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.

16 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

100% 9% 8% 8% 7% 7% Other, 10% 9% 11% 14% 9% 13% 10% 90% 17%

80% 22% Non practising 38% 33% 70% 40% 31% 44% 46% Christian, 39% 39% 27% 52% 47% 57% 60% 11%

50% 7% 11% 14% 11% 19% 8% Active Christian, 13% 14% 40% 10% 16%

30% 11% 20% 53% 48% 46% 20% 39% 40% 40% No faith, 37% 35% 36% 32% 30% 25% 10% 21%

0% Total Male Female AB C1 C2 DE 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

“Which best describes your faith?”

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.

Support for RSPB

50%

Potential supporters Existing supporters 40%

30%

14% 19% 26% 19% 20% 21% 18% 18% 17% 18% 20% 11% 22% 17%

10% 17% 12% 12% 10% 11% 10% 10% 10% 9% 9% 8% 8% 6% 0% Total Male Female AB C1 C2 DE 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

“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

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 Key finding: represented in the RSPB membership, but at a very Between 15 and 20% low level27. of RSPB supporters are However, the March 2012 survey also suggests that regular worshippers or those who describe themselves as an ‘active Christian’ church goers 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.

18 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

50%

40%

30%

Potential support 20% 18% Existing support 20% 15% 23% 21%

10% 13% 10% 9% 7% 8%

0% All respondents No faith Active Christian Non practising Other Christian

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).

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 Key finding: change issues. Operation Noah is the Christian There are a significant community’s climate change campaign, the Church of England’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign is number of faith-based heavily focussed on reducing carbon and eight of environmental initiatives the initiatives listed in Annex C are members of in the UK, but at the Stop Climate Chaos. national level A Rocha UK The aid and development agencies (CAFOD, is effectively the only one Christian Aid, Tearfund and Islamic Relief) play a with a focus on nature. 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).

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

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, cooperation.

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.

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

23 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Major world religions % global population, 2010

3% 1% Christian 6% 7% 32% Muslim 14% Hindu Non-religious

14% Buddhist 23% Chinese Ethnoreligionist Other

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 Key finding: and the many branches of the Christian church Globally, 82% of people discussed further below. agree that religion is an Gallup polling of 143 countries which asked simply important part of whether religion is an important part of people’s people’s daily lives. 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.

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.

Global Christian communities

2% 6% Protestant 10% 21% Independent 11% Anglican Catholic 46% Orthodox 4% Marginal Unaffiliated

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 Key finding: Europe, for example, particularly concentrated in Latin America, francophone The Catholic Church accounts and lusophone Africa and the Philippines. for almost half (46%) of the The nature of the Christian church is diverse worldwide Christian and dynamic, so at the same time it is community, but the Christian important not to be misled by stereotypes or church is diverse and out-of-date perceptions, as an example of dynamic, with rapid growth which we may note an estimate of more than 100 million Christians in China and more in countries such as China and than 70 million in India, both groups India. 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.

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.

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 finding: key partner of ARC.

There is a significant As noted in chapter 4, the aid and development number of international agencies (CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund and faith-based environment Islamic Relief) play a leading role in connecting initiatives. The work of A faith groups in the UK with international environmental issues because of their close links to Rocha International and poverty, particularly but not only on climate the Alliance of Religions change. and Conservation is noteworthy. 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.

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.

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).

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.

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

34 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.

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.

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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

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)

 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)

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

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

Annex C

Faith-based environmental initiatives

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 A Rocha UK is part of an international Christian organization www.arocha.org/gb- which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, en/index.html environmental education and community-based conservation projects. Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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 Ecocongregations is an ecumenical programme helping churches www.ecocongregation.org 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 CEL is a multi-denominational UK Christian organisation for www.christian-ecology.org.uk people concerned about the environment. CEL offers insights into ecology and the environment to Christian people and churches and Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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 The John Ray Initiative (JRI) is an educational charity with a vision www.jri.org.uk to bring together scientific and Christian understandings of the

environment in a way that can be widely communicated and lead

to effective action. It was formed in 1997 in recognition of the Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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 Ecumenical body with membership among the major historic and Ireland denominations. Environment and climate change is one of CTBI's www.ctbi.org.uk/CJ/10 three themed-based work areas.

Operation Noah A Christian organisation which provides leadership, focus and www.operationnoah.org inspiration in response to the growing threat of catastrophic climate change endangering God’s creation. Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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 CAFOD is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales. www.cafod.org.uk We work with partners in more than 40 countries across the world Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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 Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world www.christianaid.org.uk/index. can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live aspx a full life, free from poverty.

Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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.

Development focus.

Tearfund Tearfund is a Christian international aid and development agency www.tearfund.org/en working globally to end poverty and injustice, and to restore dignity and hope in some of the world’s poorest communities.

Member of Stop Climate Chaos 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 Church of England’s national environmental project, largely Shrinking the Footprint focused on carbon reduction. www.shrinkingthefootprint.org See Church of England case study.

Creation Challenge The environmental network of the Methodist Church in Britain, www.creationchallenge.org.uk the United Reformed Church and the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

JEWISH

Noah Project Founded in 1997, the Noah Project is Britain’s only Jewish www.biggreenjewish.org 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 Fazlun Khalid, Director of IFEES and a consultant for WWF, believes that Ecology and protecting the environment is a form of worship, and that humans have a Environmental Sciences basic right to the benefits of a healthy planet. "As the guardians of Allah's www.ifees.org.uk creation we have a responsibility to protect the environment," he says.

UK-based, but projects are international.

Islamic Relief Islamic international aid and development charity. http://www.islamic-

46 relief.org.uk/index.aspx Projects include health and water but not explicitly environmental.

Member of Stop Climate Chaos

OTHER

Arthur Rank Centre Christian charity serving rural churches and their communities. http://www.arthurrankcentre.or g.uk/ 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 Not explicitly faith-based, but close association with faith groups through http://www.ben- its work to encourage participation by ethnic minority groups. network.org.uk/index.asp

Caring for God’s Acre Conservation charity for churchyards and burial grounds. Its initial www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk 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 EarthAbbey aspires to be a (virtual) prophetic community, acting www.earthabbey.com 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 Christian-based organization which encourages the provision of a www.quietgarden.org variety of local venues where there is an opportunity to set aside time to rest and to pray.

International

CHRISTIAN

A Rocha International A Rocha is an international Christian organization which, www.arocha.org/int-en/index.html 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 Ecocongregations works in the UK, Ireland, Canada, www.ecocongregation.org 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 The historic mission of Au Sable Institute is the integration Studies, Michigan of knowledge of the Creation with biblical principles to http://ausable.org bring the Christian community and the general public into a better understanding of the Creator and the stewardship of His creation.

Plant with Purpose US-based Plant With Purpose is a Christian, environmental http://www.plantwithpurpose.org/ 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 US-based Blessed Earth is an educational nonprofit that http://www.blessedearth.org/ 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 US-based charity with affiliated project in Kenya. www.careofcreation.net

Restoring Eden US-based movement of like-minded people who see a strong http://restoringeden.org connection between our Christian spirituality and our role as caretakers of creation.

Evangelical Environmental Network US-based ministry which seeks to equip, inspire, disciple, http://creationcare.org/ and mobilize God's people in their effort to care for God's creation.

JEWISH

Green Zionist Alliance US-based secular Jewish charity, focused on Israel’s http://www.greenzionism.org/ environment.

HINDU

Bhumi Project The Bhumi Project is a worldwide Hindu response to the http://bhumiproject.org 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 A Buddhist response to global warming. http://www.ecobuddhism.org/

INTER-FAITH

Alliance of Religions and ARC is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to Conservation develop their own environmental programmes, based on their own core www.arcworld.org 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.

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