The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, will lead an Anglican delegation at COP16, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Colombia from October 21 to November 1. The aim is to share Anglican calls for action with governments attending, demonstrate Anglican commitment in tackling nature loss and emphasise the power of faith groups in achieving change.
Bishop Graham is the Anglican Communion’s lead on biodiversity and the delegation will also include youth and indigenous representation from three other continents – Nicholas Pande (Environmental Lead for the Anglican Communion team at the UN, Kenya); Michelle Cordova (official representative of the Anglican Communion Youth Network, El Salvador); Guilherme Gastal (Representative of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil’s Climate Justice Working Group) and Elisiva Sunia (Representative of the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia, Tonga).
With plant and animal species disappearing at an ever-faster rate, the aim of COP16 is for leaders and non-state actors to agree how to implement a joint action plan on biodiversity restoration. The gathering builds on the agreements made in December 2022, where more than 190 countries under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted an agreement to reverse nature loss by the year 2030. 23 global targets were set.
The Anglican Communion Calls to COP16 are outlined in a short report produced by the Anglican Communion’s UN team called: “Choosing Hope: Anglican Joint Action on Nature Loss”. An excerpt from the report says: “In our churches and communities, we sense a growing cry of lament, as the cost of nature loss takes its toll. At COP16 we want to represent this lament, on behalf of Anglicans around the globe, as we urge governments to act on nature loss. We want to express our global commitment as Anglicans to be part of the solution, demonstrating the impact of faith actors in restoring and safeguarding God’s world.”
Under the banner of ‘choosing hope’, the report calls for joint action in five areas that include: reforestation initiatives (choose hope); peace and reconciliation work to protect people and the planet from the destruction of conflict (choose peace); recognising the voices of indigenous people in restoring biodiversity (choose wisdom); just financing that funds action to reduce damage and inequality (choose justice) and encouraging whole society approaches to protecting nature as a source of wellbeing (choose wellbeing).
The report also demonstrates the work of faith actors in achieving change. It includes short case studies about Anglican churches who are addressing biodiversity loss in their contexts. This includes the Anglican Church of Kenya, who have made tree growth and ecosystem stewardship a major part of their ministry. Tree planting is woven into significant church celebrations like weddings and baptisms, as well as their programme of theological study and community action. It also features the work of the Anglican Church of Melanesia and the Franciscan Brothers in the Solomon Islands, where deforestation and logging have damaged coral reefs and fishing grounds. Through advocacy and campaigning, the Franciscans made recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in 2021. Seven out of the nine recommendations were taken on by member states.
Looking ahead to COP16, Bishop Graham Usher said: “Biodiversity loss is one of the major environmental crises impacting our planet today. Whether it’s habitat destruction, pollution, the erosion of soils, or the impact of exploitation and conflict on natural resources, many Anglican churches around the world are serving communities directly impacted by issues which cause nature loss. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis, but at COP16 we want to speak words of hope. We will implore governments to work together in achieving a joint action plan – but we will also express our deep commitment as Anglicans in playing our part in global action.”
The COP16 Calls report also shares invitations to Anglican churches to support biodiversity restoration, through initiatives like the Communion Forest; or developing peace and reconciliation skills through the Difference Course. Alongside the Calls document, Bishop Graham Usher has also written an extended reflection document, that unpacks a theology to inform Anglican approaches to biodiversity loss called “All Creatures of our God and King.” An accompanying piece has been developed by Nicholas Pande, Environmental Lead for the Anglican Communion team at the UN, called ‘The Challenge of Biodiversity Loss’.
Martha Jarvis, the Anglican Communion’s Permanent Representative to the UN said: “Having an Anglican presence at summits like COP16 is an important opportunity to share Anglican voices and concerns about issues of biodiversity loss. But it goes beyond the summit. It’s also about ensuring that our attendance mobilises ongoing advocacy and action. We pray that following COP16, Anglicans can play their part alongside government leaders in restoring God’s world.”
