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Saving Nature with Faith Communities

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Saving Nature with Faith Communities 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 2 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. 3 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. 4 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 5 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. 6 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.
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