What does religion have to do with conservation? Event

 

Abstract: effective partnerships between religious and conservation groups are on the increase and represent significant untapped potential that can directly support conservation outcomes. ARC is a British-based NGO originally under WWF International and founded by HRH Prince Philip. Our aim is to bring religious groups together with environmental partners to develop faith-consistent environmental programmes that can address biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Chantal Elkin, ARC’s Wildlife & Forests Programme Director, oversees ARC’s faith and conservation projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, India and Kenya. She will give an overview of ARC’s work on Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Daoist approaches to conservation – highlighting ARC’s projects in Indonesia and Malaysia on the first ever Islamic fatwas issued on wildlife trade and climate change; projects in India to mitigate impacts on tiger reserves from large-scale Hindu pilgrimage; projects in China to reduce ivory and threatened species consumption through Buddhist and Daoist partnerships; and projects in Cambodia to support community forestry programmes run by Buddhist monks. ARC works with a broad range of religious and secular partners, including the UN, WWF, The Nature Conservancy, the World Bank and the Society for Conservation Biology.