Expert Talk: Faith, Wildlife, and Biodiversity Harnessing Religion for Environmental Conservation

Dr. Abumoghli has pointed out in his presentation, the untapped power of the social dimension impacted by faith represents the spillover of spiritual values into patterns of social inclusion, political engagement, and economics. In the context of conservation and wildlife preservation, most religious teachings exhibit an interconnection with today’s science when it comes to wildlife protection. These interconnections refer to aspects such as the concept of responsibility of humans to care for the environment, which is on the one hand a scientific principle of conservation as well as, on the other hand, the stewardship concept of humans to care for God’s creation as taught within Christianity. Also in Buddhism, one can find the recognition of the ecological impacts of human activities on the environment and animals through the Buddhist teachings on the interconnectedness and compassion for all forms of life. Other religions and indigenous spiritualities show similar interconnections and general common religious values can be identified as relevant for a harmonious and balanced relationship between societies, wildlife, and the environment.
Besides the conceptual understanding of faith and conservation, the intrinsic value of the natural world that is taught through ancient sacred writings and teachings, Dr. Abumoghli showed how these aspects have been integrated into the political sphere today: The Global Biodiversity Framework and COP15 featured distinct faith-based approaches. For example, through education and outreach, faith-based organizations can advocate for conservation and environmental protection within their communities using spiritual and moral imperatives. Several initiatives are already operating that specifically address the establishment of partnerships between religious and spiritual leaders and environmental organizations, such as the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative. Therefore, especially in the context of One Health and pandemic prevention, faith-based approaches can enhance community engagement to address health risks and behavioral change for more sustainable and safe practices.