Chris Packham leads calls to rewild Church of England

TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham has led calls to the Church of England to commit to re-wilding 30 per cent of its land. 

The call is backed by high profile figures including former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, former cabinet minister Michael Gove, and actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry, in addition to 100,000 members of the general public. 

The campaign, by the Wild Card group, was launched on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, where Packham unravelled the ’95 Wild Theses’ – a spin on Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses that triggered the Protestant Reformation. 

The 95 Wild Theses set out why the campaign thinks that the Church Commissioners should rewild more of the Church of England’s 105,000-acre estate.

Speaking outside St Paul’s, Packham claimed that a “majority” of Church of England land was “in a dire ecological condition”. 

“The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Church’s wealthy investment arm – The Church Commissioners – are failing all things shiny and exquisite,” he said. 

“As one in all the most important institutional landowners in one in all the world’s most nature depleted countries, the Church ought to be a pacesetter in restoring our precious wildlife.” 

He alleged that the Archbishop and Church Commissioners had declined to debate rewilding the Church’s estate with campaigners, and said he hoped that the campaign would “help to persuade Church leaders to step as much as the pulpit”.

“If they’re willing to practise what they preach they may rewild just a 3rd of their land, which might equate to an area 90 times the dimensions of Hyde Park, and provides British wildlife the salvation that it desperately needs,” he said. 

Dr Williams said: “Letting the natural world be itself – not only a reserve bank for our convenience – is an act of grace, and one which we must always be glad to embrace, because when the world around us flourishes, so can we.”

Mr Fry said: “The Church Commissioners have an exquisite opportunity to make a lot of its unique landholding. The 30×30 plan is potent, achievable, manageable and hugely helpful.”

Responding to the campaign call, Paul Jaffe speaking on behalf of the Church Commissioners told Premier Christian News that much of the Church of England’s estate was farmland that was unsuitable for re-wilding on a big scale.

“While large-scale rewilding shouldn’t be appropriate for our highly productive farmland, we’re deeply committed to supporting nature through a spread of initiatives,” he said. 

“We deal with sustainable farming practices, collaborate with organisations just like the RSPB and FWAG, and actively integrate biodiversity projects, akin to woodland creation and wetland restoration, across our portfolio.

“Our approach ensures we balance food production with stewardship of the land, helping to safeguard nature for future generations.”