A Rocha

International environmental organization

A Rocha
PredecessorA Rocha Trust[1]
Founded13 December 1983;
40 years ago (1983-12-13)
FounderMiranda and Peter Harris[2]
Typeenvironmental NGO network
Focuscommunity-based conservation projects[3]
HeadquartersLondon, UK
OriginsConstituted in the UK[4]
Area served
Worldwide
International chair
Soohwan Park
Key people
Ed Walker (Executive Director, ARI)[5] • Andy Atkins (CEO, A Rocha UK)[6][7] • Rev Dave Bookless (Head of Theology, ARI)[8][9]
Revenue
GBP £750,000 (2022)[10]
Employees
144 in 2017(FTE)[11]: 20 
Volunteers
841 in 2017[11]: 20 
Websitearocha.org

A Rocha is an international network of environmental organizations with Christian ethos. A Rocha means "the rock" in Portuguese (see entry Rocha).

History

A Rocha International was founded in Portugal in 1983.[12] The A Rocha Worldwide Covenant defines the rights and responsibilities of each A Rocha entity to the others.

As of 2024, A Rocha is working in over 20 countries: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand/Aotearoa, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, and United States.[13] There are ongoing conversations with other potential groups around the world, particularly in East and Southeast Asia.[11]: 8–9 

A Rocha has five core commitments: Christian, Conservation, Community, Collaboration, and Cultural diversity.[3]

Work

A Rocha aims to protect the environment through local, community-based conservation, scientific research, and environmental education,[14] and they have “a track record of successes”.[15]

A bird ringer ageing a Hoopoe at the Cruzinha field studies centre, Portugal

A Rocha operates field study centres in Canada (two centres), France (two centres), India, Kenya, Portugal[16] and also in the Czech Republic.[17] These serve primarily as a base for A Rocha's and other organisations’ field studies and for environmental education, and most also offer accommodation for visitors.

Areas of A Rocha's work include:

  • Species and landscape surveying and monitoring, such as raptor counts in Pembina Valley, Canada,[18] camera trapping of mammals in India,[19] the Kenya Bird Map,[20] dry grassland biodiversity surveys in Switzerland[21] and mapping tropical forests using unmanned aerial vehicles[22][23]
  • Habitat and species restoration projects, such as mangrove restoration projects in Ghana,[24] and improving breeding chances for Grey-faced petrels by eradicating invasive mammals, restoring habitats and deploying artificial nests in Raglan, New Zealand,[25] control of invasive Indian House crow in Kenya [26]
  • Reducing human–wildlife conflict in India, notably with elephants[27][28] and leopards[29]
  • Setting up private or public parks and reserves such as the Kirosa Scott Reserve in Kenya,[30] and Foxearth Reserve[31] and Minet Country Park in the UK
  • Enlarging and campaigning for the safeguarding of existing natural and protected areas, such as the Atewa Forest in Ghana,[32] and the Alvor Estuary in Portugal[33][34]
  • Bridging biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods, such as via sustainable agriculture and community garden projects across Canada;[35] the Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Eco-tourism Scheme in Kenya;[27][36] the establishment of CREMAs (community resource management areas) around Mole National Park[27] and Lake Bosumtwi,[37] Ghana; and training community members in Uganda to construct bio-sand water filters[38]
  • Environmental education activities and resources, such as the Wild Lebanon website in Lebanon[39] and "creation care camps" in the USA[40]
  • Carbon footprint reduction and mitigation projects, such as producing charcoal briquettes from waste in Uganda,[41] the "Eco Church" church greening programme in the UK,[42][43] and running "Climate Stewards", a global programme which encourages people to reduce their carbon footprint, and accepts donations to offset emissions via community forestry and cookstove projects in Ghana, Kenya and Mexico[44]
  • Cooperating worldwide for nature conservation, such as being a member of IUCN[45] and IUCN's European Habitats Forum[46]
  • Engaging Christian communities with the relevance of nature conservation to the Christian faith, through conferences,[47] speaking engagements,[48] books[49] and papers,[8] and partnerships such as the Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network[50]

A Rocha also serves as an Erasmus+ / European Voluntary Service agency in France,[51] the Netherlands[52] and Portugal.[53]

See also

Christian views on environmentalism

References

  1. ^ Charity Commission for England and Wales. A Rocha Trust. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  2. ^ A Rocha. Peter Harris. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b A Rocha. Meet A Rocha. www.arocha.org Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  4. ^ Charity Commission for England and Wales. A Rocha International. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. ^ A Rocha website, People: Ed Walker, retrieved 2024-05-15
  6. ^ A Rocha UK. Meet the team Archived 4 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  7. ^ A Rocha website, Nature Can’t Wait, article by Andy Atkins dated September 26, 2023
  8. ^ a b Bookless, Dave. The Bible and Biodiversity Archived 30 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. The Jubilee Centre Cambridge Papers. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  9. ^ A Rocha website, People, retrieved 2024-05-15
  10. ^ UK Government website, Charity Commission, A Rocha UK, Charity number: 1089276 (December 2022)
  11. ^ a b c A Rocha. International Review 2016/17. Retrieved from www.arocha.org Archived 1 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine on 29 October 2018.
  12. ^ Elsdon, Ron (1992) Greenhouse Theology pp 193–195, Monarch, ISBN 1-85424-153-2.
  13. ^ A Rocha. Overview Archived 10 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  14. ^ Johnson, Marina. The Church of England Newspaper 1 August 2008: A Rocha: Spearheading the Green revolution in the church.
  15. ^ Awoyemi, S. M. (2008). "The Role of Religion in the HIV/AIDS Intervention in Africa: A Possible Model for Conservation Biology". Conservation Biology. 22 (4): 811–813. Bibcode:2008ConBi..22..811A. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01007.x. PMID 18786094. S2CID 20857918.
  16. ^ A Rocha. Stay at our field study centres Archived 26 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  17. ^ A Rocha Czech Republic. Our field study centre Krupárna – The Mill. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  18. ^ Stelmach, Lorne (17 June 2013). "Record raptor counts in the valley". The Morden Times. Morden, Manitoba. Retrieved 26 October 2016 – via pembinatoday.ca.
  19. ^ A Rocha India. Camera trapping. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  20. ^ Animal Demography Unit, University of Cape Town. Welcome to the Kenya Bird Map project. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  21. ^ A Rocha. Dry grasslands biodiversity surveys Archived 1 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  22. ^ A Rocha. Mapping tropical forests Archived 14 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  23. ^ Vaglio Laurin G, Chan JC-W, Chen Q, Lindsell JA, Coomes DA, Guerriero L, et al. (2014) Biodiversity Mapping in a Tropical West African Forest with Airborne Hyperspectral Data. PLOS ONE 9(6): e97910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0097910. Published 17 June 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  24. ^ A Rocha Ghana. Community mangrove restoration project. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  25. ^ Smallman, Elton Rikihana (14 September 2016). "Oi, grey faced petrel making a Raglan comeback". Stuff. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  26. ^ "House Crows no more". 25 January 2024.
  27. ^ a b c Sluka, Robert D.; Kaonga, Martin; Weatherley, Janice; Anand, Vijay; Bosu, Daryl; Jackson, Colin (2011). "Christians, biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation: a potential synergy?". Biodiversity. 12 (2): 1–8. Bibcode:2011Biodi..12..108S. doi:10.1080/14888386.2011.599780. S2CID 153376787.
  28. ^ Varma, S., Anand.V.D., Gopalakrishna S.P., Avinash, K.G., and Nishant M.S. (2009). Ecology, Conservation and Management of the Asian Elephant in Bannerghatta National Park, southern India. A Rocha India/ANCF: Asian Elephant Ecology and Conservation Reference Series No.1. A Rocha India and Asian Nature Conservation Foundation, Bangalore. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  29. ^ A Rocha. Bangalore Leopard attack – what now? Archived 2 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  30. ^ A Rocha Kenya. Dakatcha Woodland Archived 6 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  31. ^ A Rocha UK. Foxearth: dawn of a new quest. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  32. ^ A Rocha Ghana. Save Atewa Forest Archived 5 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  33. ^ Taylor, Jenny (29 February 2012). "Religiously literate campaign secures prison sentence for rogue developer in Portuguese beauty spot". Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  34. ^ Donn, Natasha (5 February 2015). "Environmentalists slam council over Ria de Alvor development plans". Portugal Resident. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  35. ^ A Rocha Canada. Sustainable Agriculture: Creation care through food. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  36. ^ Collins, Susan Ashley (March 2008). ransformative Learning Through Conservation: A Case Study of the Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Eco-tourism Scheme, Kenya (PDF) (Master of Natural Resource Management). Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  37. ^ A Rocha Ghana. Collaborative Ecosystems Conservation of Lake Bosumtwi. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  38. ^ French Republic. 100 Projects for the Climate: Women, Water & Climate Archived 3 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  39. ^ A Rocha Lebanon. Wild Lebanon – Powered by A Rocha Archived 20 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  40. ^ A Rocha USA. Creation Care Camp. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  41. ^ A Rocha Uganda. Charcoal briquettes Archived 7 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  42. ^ "Eco Church". The Church of England. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  43. ^ "St Paul's Goes Green for Eco Church". St Paul's Cathedral. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  44. ^ Climate Stewards. Home page. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  45. ^ IUCN. Members database Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  46. ^ IUCN. European Habitats Forum Archived 26 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  47. ^ Regent College. Holy Ground: Answering God’s Call to Creation Care. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  48. ^ Olelo Community Media (5 September 2016). IUCN 2016: High-level Session 5 Sep – Connections: Spirituality & Conservation (ID: #WCC_13830) (Video). Honolulu, Hawai‘i: IUCN. Retrieved 26 October 2016.[dead YouTube link]
  49. ^ Naylor, Chris. Postcards from the Middle East: How our family fell in love with the Arab world. Oxford, England 2015: Lion Hudson.
  50. ^ Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network. About. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  51. ^ European Youth Portal. Volunteering organisation information: A Rocha France. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  52. ^ European Youth Portal. Volunteering organisation information: Stichting A Rocha Nederland. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  53. ^ European Youth Portal. Volunteering organisation information: A Rocha – Associação Cristã de Estudo e Defesa do Ambiente. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
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