Field Notes

How do we keep going after trauma and tragedy? How can we avoid becoming overwhelmed and despairing in the face of the environmental catastrophe unfolding before our very eyes? Ruth Padilla DeBorst is a renowned Latin American theologian based in Costa Rica, where she lives in Casa Adobe , an intentional community committed to living as good neighbours in right relation with people and the rest of...

Is nature intrinsically valuable? Or should we only value nature that benefits humanity? Trained as a Chartered Management Account with an MBA in International Business, Seth Appiah-Kubi hasn't come from a conservation background. However, his background in finance and subsequent work in securing natural resources shows the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in caring for creation. W...

Are human livelihoods more important than nature? Dr Deepa Senapathi is Senior Research Fellow in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, at the University of Reading, UK, and also serves on A Rocha International’s Conservation Science Advisory Council. Deepa was born and grew up in Chennai, India, before further studies and research based in the UK. Her research has focused on critically endangered...

The Dakatcha Woodland is facing a crisis. It is among the ten most threatened forest hotspots in the world, located 150km north of Mombasa in the south of Kenya. It is home to a number of rare species, but is threatened by an unprecedented rush of people purchasing land for agriculture and, in particular, pineapple farming and charcoal burning. Colin Jackson, Director of A Rocha Kenya, founded the...

The world’s high seas – our so-called international waters – represent nearly 50% of the planet’s surface but are not owned by any state. Research shows that around half of fishing in the high seas would not be profitable without government subsidies or slave labour… So could we protect it by creating a giant marine reserve, and let nature flourish? In this episode, Enric speaks honestly with Bryo...

Rachel Mander talks to Bryony and Peter about being an unlikely campaigner, the power of personal action and unlikely places to worship. As a young and increasingly influential  leader in the environmental movement in the UK, Rachel speaks honestly about the struggles and external and internal opposition she faces in challenging the status quo.   Rachel is part of A Rocha’s Theology and Churches t...

Why do starving manatees matter when there are children dying of preventable disease? Is telling people about Jesus the priority for Christians or should we be doing beach clean ups too? Dr Robert Sluka, A Rocha's Lead Marine Scientist, talks to Bryony and Peter about how he came to believe that holistic marine conservation brings glory to God and what can be done to help the hungry manatees....

Wine is mentioned over 1,000 times in the Bible, but what is its significance for the Christian faith today? And how can we produce and buy wines which care for creation? Gisela Kreglinger grew up on a family-owned winery in Franconia, Germany where her family has crafted wine for many generations.  This unique experience has inspired her to write several books, including 'The Spirituality of...

In the face of rising average global temperatures and the destruction of life on earth, how do we look after our mental health? In this moving interview, Dr Stuart Blanch, President of A Rocha Australia, tells us about his personal experience of dealing with eco-anxiety, despair and anger in the face of the destruction of the natural world. He continues to hope and to love. Stuart grew up on the N...

What does the Bible have to say about caring for creation in an age of industrialised agriculture and urban-dwelling? Ellen F. Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. The author of eleven books and many articles, her research interests focus on how biblical interpretation bears on the life of faith communities and their response t...

This is an A Rocha Field Notes podcast bonus track. We asked Ellen Davis to walk us through one of her favourite Scriptures. This is what she shared.

What role does reconciliation, mediation and forgiveness have in tackling the climate crisis? Dr Paul Kariya is Senior Policy Advisor for the Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative, an alliance of nine British Columbia First Nations which aims to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, and was a trustee of A Rocha International for nearly a decade.  By the end of the 1990s, forest and ocean resour...

Is nature conservation a luxury for those who live in such poverty that even their survival hangs in the balance? Dr Florence Muindi is a medical doctor and founding president of Life in Abundance International. As a young adult, Florence felt called to serve some of the most vulnerable communities in Africa. She soon learnt that if she and her colleagues were to make any impact on all the causes...

Dr Paula Banza talks to Bryony and Peter about moths and their little-known role as pollinators, and what it was like seeing her study site destroyed by fire only to recover before her eyes. She also shares insight from her 30 years living and working with the A Rocha Portugal community, and the parallels there are in the interdependence of human relationships and natural ecosystems.  Find out mor...

A brief intro to our up-coming series Field Notes. We talk to people who are working to care for creation around the world