– The Church of England is one of the country’s largest landowners, but most of its acreage is in a dire ecological state 

– Prominent figures, including Rowan Williams, Michael Gove, Stephen Fry, Caroline Lucas, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Robert T Watson and Ben Goldsmith along with 100,000 members of the public, back campaign to rewild the Church

London, 6th October: Chris Packham today demanded that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England “practise what they preach” and protect nature by committing to rewilding 30% of their 105,000 acre estate by 2030.

On the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the TV presenter and conservationist, dressed in a striking medieval costume and ‘rewilded’ bonnet, unveiled a nine-metre long scroll containing a collection of powerful arguments as to why the Church’s wealthy investment arm – the Church Commissioners – should rewild their extensive landholdings. Contributions to the 95 Wild Theses (a twist on the original 95 Theses by Martin Luther that kick started the protestant reformation) have been gathered from nearly 100 leading public figures, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, former Secretary of State  Michael Gove, broadcaster, actor and writer Stephen Fry, former chair of the IPBES and IPCC Sir Robert T Watson, chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas.

Speaking at the event, organised by grassroots campaign group Wild Card, Chris Packham said: “The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Church’s wealthy investment arm – The Church Commissioners – are failing all things bright and beautiful. Despite the Archbishop recently stating that ‘God is green, and He calls on us to be green’, the majority of the Church Commissioners’  land is in a dire ecological condition¹. As one of the biggest institutional landowners in one of the world’s most nature depleted countries, the Church should be a leader in restoring our precious wildlife. 

“The Archbishop and the Church Commissioners, including the Bishop of the Environment, have declined our many attempts to discuss how they can rewild their vast estate. We hope the immense support on display today, which is championed by many in the Church, will help to convince Church leaders to step up to the pulpit. If they are willing to practise what they preach they could rewild just a third of their land, which would equate to an area 90 times the size of Hyde Park*, and give British wildlife the salvation that it desperately needs.”

Britain ranks in the bottom 10% of nations globally for biodiversity. The Church of England’s land, which is managed as an investment by the Church Commissioners, is largely used for intensive farming, with only 3% wooded, compared with the UK average of 13%.¹ This gives it the lowest tree coverage of the UK’s top ten institutional landowners. Whilst regenerative farming techniques have been encouraged across the estate, regenerative agriculture’s benefits for biodiversity and climate are not supported by peer-reviewed data and neither is it a substitute for nature restoration. 

Wild Card previously led a successful campaign with Chris Packham that pushed for another of the country’s major land owners, the Royal Family, to rewild their land, which resulted in the launch of a series of rewilding projects on Royal estates. Today’s event builds on this success, with 100,000 members of the public signing a petition hosted by 38 Degrees, which calls on the Church to follow suit.  The event was attended by priests and clergy from the group Christian Climate Action who co-organised the event.

At the heart of the campaign to rewild the Church are the 95 Wild Theses. This series of ecological, climatological and theological arguments, written by nearly 100 church leaders, scientists, academics, actors, politicians, musicians, theologians, lawyers, naturalists and activists will be delivered to the offices of the Church Commissioners and Lambeth Palace later today. Contributions include:

Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury: “Letting the natural world be itself – not just a reserve bank for our convenience – is an act of grace, and one that we should be glad to embrace, because when the world around us flourishes, so do we.”

Broadcaster, actor and writer Stephen Fry: “The church commissioners have a wonderful opportunity to make so much of its unique landholding. The 30×30 plan is potent, achievable, manageable and hugely beneficial.”

Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge, Sir Partha Dasgupta: “With barely 3% of England’s land adequately protected for nature, our international reputation as an environmental leader hangs in the balance. We urgently need major English landowners such as the Church Commissioners to take bold action and commit to reaching this crucial target on their own land. Without such leadership here and around the world, the UN target will surely become another hollow gesture amidst the catastrophe of the Sixth Mass Extinction.”

The Church has shown global leadership in supporting the UN climate goals by divesting from fossil fuels. In February, the Church’s democratic body The General Synod passed a motion calling for action to increase biodiversity across the Church’s various landholdings. However, it lacks concrete and measurable targets for the Church’s single largest landholding – the land owned by the Commissioners. As a signatory of the United Nations’ global treaty to restore and protect 30% of land and seas for nature by 2030, the UK cannot achieve this target without action from the country’s largest landowners.

*By rewilding 30% of their 105,000 acres of land, the Church Commissioners have the power to restore an area of land 90 times the size of Hyde Park (31,500 acres)

¹ https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/englands-10-biggest-landowners-must-grow-more-trees 

¹ https://www.endsreport.com/article/1722890/fewer-half-sssis-owned-church-england-favourable-condition

• ENDS – 

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information contact: Heather Carswell: info@wildcard.land / 07815 741183

NOTES TO EDITORS

Further details about the Rewild the Church campaign can be found here.

Images and Broll from today’s event are available on request.

ABOUT WILD CARD

Wild Card is a citizens movement campaigning for the UK’s biggest landowners to urgently rewild their lands in response to the climate and nature emergency. With over 250,000 people supporting their campaigns to date they have already claimed successes in persuading the royal estates and other landowners to begin ambitious nature restoration schemes.

www.wildcard.land 

ABOUT CHRIS PACKHAM

Chris Packham is a broadcaster, environmental activist and animal welfare campaigner. He is best known for his television work including The Really Wild Show and BBC nature series Springwatch. His recent TV credits include Earth for the BBC, and Is it Time to Break the Law for Channel 4, a documentary in which he examined whether climate change protestors are justified in breaking the law for their cause.