These are the words of businesswoman and Dragon’s Den investor Deborah Meaden, in response to a new report examining the Church of England’s financial assets. The study, which has also been endorsed by economist Sir Partha Dasgupta, author and conservationist Isabella Tree and environmental economics Professor Ian Bateman, outlines how, as one of the nation’s largest landowners, the Church can play a much greater role in protecting nature without impacting its significant profits. 

According to the report, if the Church followed the lead of the Crown Estate and provided financial support to their tenant farmers to pursue nature recovery, it would require a one-off investment of £20 million – equivalent to just 2.9% of its 2025 profit, or 0.18% of its total wealth. Meanwhile, the report explains how protecting 30% of the Church Commissioners rural land for nature offers substantial financial opportunity, and examines the risks to the Church’s revenue and reputation of not acting. 

The Church is one of the wealthiest institutional investors in the UK, with £11.1 billion in assets, which grew by £663 million in 2025. The majority of the Church of England’s 102,000 acres of rural land is currently used for commercial farming, with only 3,600 acres of that (just 3.5%) dedicated to nature. The Church Commissioners, who manage the estate, argue that their ‘fiduciary duty’ – the legal obligation to act solely in the best interest of another party – constrains their capacity to align with the UN target (committed to by the UK Government) of protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. However, analysis by rewilding campaign group Wild Card shows that this claim doesn’t hold up when examined against the Church’s impressive financial performance. 

Environmentalist, business leader and Dragon’s Den investor Deborah Meaden said: “Rewilding is a moral and spiritual duty, but it is also a major business opportunity. Across the country, landowners—from independent farmers to the vast Crown Estate—are taking advantage of the profitable returns nature restoration offers. This report by Wild Card calls for the Church Commissioners to fulfill their fiduciary duty as a charity and seize this potential new income stream with both hands. To fail to do so would be an ethical and financial own goal.”

Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population, so the country’s top land owners, like the Church of England, play an outsized role in shaping the future of nature recovery. With Britain ranking in the bottom 10% of nations globally for biodiversity the Church of England must act if DEFRA’s guidelines on UK’s nature-recovery targets, and land-use policy are to be met. 

Professor Ian Bateman OBE, Co-Director of the Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute, University of Exeter Business School said: “This paper presents a compelling case for the Church Commissioners to provide national leadership in sustainable land use. It follows the release of the Government’s Land-Use Framework, which acknowledges that major change is necessary to deliver the wider social benefits which land use is capable of providing. 

“By taking this lead the Church can help show what is possible in delivering vital ecosystem services – carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, clean water, and public recreation – while maintaining sustainable food production. The risk, if they do not do this, is that the costs, and responsibility to act, are simply pushed to other landowners.”

The new report highlights suitable land that could be restored including neglected Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and degraded peatland that is currently emitting huge volumes of CO2.

The report follows the submission of Reverend Valerie Plumb’s Private Member’s Motion to the General Synod, the Church’s national assembly, which calls on the Church Commissioners to protect nature “in line with the scale and urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises”. If it receives over 100 signatures from Synod members the Motion can be tabled for debate at a future General Synod meeting, followed by a vote. If passed, the Church Commissioners will be called on to commit to protect 30% of their land for nature by 2030.

The Rewild the Church campaign has been gaining momentum, with support from over 130,000 members of the public, alongside theologians, scientists, conservationists, politicians and broadcasters who are urging the Church to respond more decisively to the biodiversity crisis. An open letter backed by nearly 50 high profile individuals and organisations, including Stephen Fry, Zack Polanski, Rowan Williams and Caroline Lucas has been shared with the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, asking her to lead the Church of England in committing to protecting nature on 30% of their vast estate.  Protecting 30% of Church land is also a key demand of Christian environmental organisations such as Operation Noah and Christian Climate Action.

The report Getting back to the Garden: The financial and fiduciary case for 30by30 on Church Commissioner-owned land can be viewed here.