Church of England votes against plan to rewild 30% of its land by 2030 | Anglicanism

The Church of England voted against plans to regenerate 30 per cent of its land, with campaigners criticizing the church’s failure to show moral leadership.

The C of E owns approximately 425,000 hectares (105,000 acres) of land, making it one of the largest landowners in England. Currently, only 3.5% of its land is used for nature restoration.

The Rev Canon Val Plumb, a parish dean at Oxford, introduced a special motion to the General Synod calling for 30% of its lands to be rewilded by 2030.

The UK, along with more than 100 other countries, has made an international commitment to regenerate 30% of its land by 2030; This is considered the minimum target needed to halt and reverse the global decline in nature.

Plumb’s motion was blocked Tuesday when the church’s national synod passed a separate amendment that did not include any measurable rewilding goals.

The amendment, put forward by the Right Rev Graham Usher, presiding bishop for the environment, lists six steps to be taken as an alternative to adhering to the “30 by 30” target. This includes “continuing to support nature restoration projects where appropriate” and “engaging and collaborating with tenants on sustainable agriculture.”

William Nye, general secretary of the archbishops’ council, said before the vote that Plumb’s proposal was inconsistent with the church’s legal obligations and responsibility to ensure “long-term capital growth.”

Claire Rogers, a campaigner for Wild Card, a citizens’ movement campaigning for the UK’s largest landowners to rewild their lands, said the church had missed an opportunity to show moral leadership by not supporting the 30 for 30 motion.

“At a time when wildlife is disappearing from our countryside, we need much greater action than is committed today. More than 190 countries, including ours, have committed to 30 by 30 for a reason; they can’t all be wrong,” he said.

Other large landowners have set measurable targets to protect nature. For example, the Crown Estate has committed to managing 36% of its land for nature by 2030.

On Monday, the government published its own strategy to achieve the 30 by 30 target. The plan was condemned as “pathetic” and “wholly inadequate” in the face of a spiraling environmental crisis. Currently only 7% of land in England meets the 30×30 criteria.

Church commissioners said they welcomed the adopted amended motion and were “pleased that the Synod has adopted a collaborative approach that balances greater support for nature with our legal and fiduciary obligations.”

“With around 90% of our farmland portfolio being productive or high-yield farmland, our focus is on integrating the healing of nature into working spaces, supporting food production and improving the resilience of rural businesses across the UK.”