Monday 25th June

7.30 - 8.45 pm

Trinity Meeting Place

Essex Street Norwich NR2 2BJ

What could be the impact on our planet of climate change, environmental pollution and the mass extinction of species, and what can be achieved through conservation programmes? From a religious perspective, what should be our responsibilities in caring for (or stewardship of) God’s creation?

Concern for the planet and the environment is rarely out of the news these days, be it plastic pollution in oceans, the impact of a changing climate, or the extinction of a species. But the Christian response has sometimes been ambivalent. For a faith that cherishes a richly biodiverse creation, it is notable that some parts of the Christian church have been rather disinterested in care for the creation. But this is gradually changing.

The talk will outline some of the major issues for conservationists and explore a Christian response to these concerns. It will require us to engage with contemporary themes in conservation such as how we value nature, what motivates us to do conservation, and how we maintain hope when faced with such a massive challenge.

Jeremy Lindsell is a conservation scientist working as Director of Science & Conservation for A Rocha International. His interests are in tropical forest ecology and conservation, the conservation of globally threatened species, and biodiversity inventory and monitoring. He has worked in West and East Africa, the Middle East and South-east Asia. Currently, his main focus is on forest conservation in the Upper Guinean forests of West Africa and the coastal forests of East Africa. He holds a degree in Geography from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Ornithology from the University of Oxford. He is currently based in Cambridge.