Why Conservation Needs Religion

Abstract

Conservationists have been criticized for failing to protect nature in the face of mounting threats including overexploitation, species loss, habitat destruction, and climate change. Resource managers and scientists have yet to fully engage a major segment of the global population in their outreach efforts to protect the environment: religious communities. The world's religions have been recognized as a surprising driver of support for conservation of biological diversity, and numerous examples demonstrate religious and conservation groups working together to achieve conservation outcomes. However, many conservation organizations do not effectively engage religious groups. When conservation organizations do engage religious groups, efforts to do so are often ad hoc and such partnerships may wane over time. A more systematic approach is needed that directly engages religious communities, develops effective partnerships, supports and sustains dialogue aimed at finding common ground despite potentially divergent worldviews, and establishes supporting mechanisms to maintain the partnerships that are developed. Effective partnerships between religious and conservation groups represent significant untapped potential which can directly support conservation outcomes; such partnerships are likely to become increasingly important with dwindling support for conservation.

Sacred groves and serpent‐gods moderate human–snake relations

“…By preventing the development or extensive degradation of sacred natural sites, such beliefs and traditions have helped maintain local biodiversity despite ongoing nearby urban growth and land‐use changes (Verschuuren et al, ). There has consequently been a sharpening focus on their value in current conservation biology (Mcleod & Palmer, ; Waylen, Fischer, Mcgowan, Thirgood, & Milner‐Gulland, ), perhaps as an ideal for the prosperity of both nature and society (Pardo‐de‐Santayana & Macía, ). Although found throughout the world (Verschuuren et al, ), the potential role for sacred natural sites in modern conservation practices has garnered significant attention in places such as Ethiopia (Aerts et al, ; Teketay et al, ), Ghana (Decher, ; Sarfo‐Mensah, Oduro, Antoh Fredua, & Amisah, ), Tanzania (Kideghesho, ; Mgumia & Oba, ), and Southwestern China (Salick et al, ; Shen, Lu, Li, & Chen, ), where studies have exemplified their efficacy in safeguarding native flora and fauna.…”

Biocultural conservation in the sacred forests of Odisha, India

“…For example, the VSS committees generally said that they need more support and help from the Forest Department in order to further biodiversity conservation. According to Mcleod and Palmer (2015), effective partnerships between religious and conservation groups can result in significant help for biodiversity conservation, when a clear, specific challenge is identified and with shared vision and respect between groups.…”

The Efficacy of Using SCB Guidelines to Facilitate Conservation Science-Faith Collaboration: Experiences in the Field

“…Societal support is essential for establishing policies and implementing practices that conservation researchers identify for preserving and protecting biological diversity (e.g., Lemos and Agrawal), and members of faith communities constitute a significant segment of the global population that may be helpful and supportive (e.g., ACT Alliance, 2015; Mcleod and Palmer, 2015;Sayem, 2019;United Nations Environmental Programme [UNEP], 2019). In a study of 2010 censuses, surveys and population registries in 230 countries and territories, the Pew Research Center estimated that approximately 84 percent of adults and children are affiliated with a "religion" (a term used broadly to refer to organized world religions and various traditional, indigenous and folk religions including African traditional, Chinese folk, Native American tribal, and Australian aboriginal) (Pew Research Center, Religion and Public Life, 2012).…”