THE conservationist Chris Packham and the businesswoman and Dragons’ Den investor Deborah Meaden joined a fringe event to the meeting of the General Synod last week, adding their voices to growing pressure on the Church Commissioners to commit to protecting nature on 30 per cent of their estate by 2030.
At the guts of the campaign is a non-public member’s motion brought by Canon Val Plumb, who’s the Area Dean for Rural Mission and Development in Buckingham Archdeaconry, in Oxford diocese. The motion calls on the Commissioners — who manage greater than 100,000 acres of rural land and a portfolio price £11.1 billion — to guard nature “in keeping with the dimensions and urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises”. Currently, only 3600 acres, some 3.5 per cent of their rural estate, is protected for nature; the rest is used largely for business farming.
Canon Plumb said: “If they’ll commit to protecting 30 per cent of their land by 2030, the Commissioners can resurrect nature and restore hope in our future. As Christians, we’re collectively called to steward creation, and, presently of crisis, we cannot expect others to act but not do more ourselves.”
Ms Meaden made the business case for motion, noting that the Commissioners generated a money profit of £663 million last yr. “Meeting 30 by 30 would cost a fraction of that, and have a huge effect on nature,” she said. “The business case for shielding nature isn’t only clear, it’s critical to secure the Church’s long-term survival.”
Mr Packham pointed to the dimensions of the chance: “The Church has the land and money to take motion, the profile to influence others to follow suit, and the UK public and church community calling on them to do right by nature.”
If the motion receives greater than 100 signatures from Synod members, it might be tabled for debate and a vote at a future General Synod. The motion builds on a Land and Nature Motion passed in 2024, and aligns with the UN global 30 × 30 goal, of which the UK Government is a signatory. Britain currently ranks in the underside ten per cent of countries for biodiversity.
The campaign has the backing of greater than 130,000 members of the general public, alongside theologians, scientists, conservationists, politicians, and broadcasters. An open letter, signed by the previous Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams, has been sent to the brand new Archbishop of Canterbury, urging her to steer the Church in making the commitment.
