The Church of England alone owns around 180,000 acres of land, equivalent in size to the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey combined. Of this, 75,000 acres, equivalent in size to the Broads national park, is Diocesan land, including church yards, graveyards and glebe land. As such, even if just this land was to be managed to be more wildlife friendly, it would make a significant difference on a national level.
It is however, quite tricky to ensure land is being managed in the most Eco Friendly and sustainable manner, even with the best of intentions. Churchyards and graveyards, for example are home to an abundance of rare species, and land owned by places of worship can incorporate rare habitats. If you believe your place of worship may be home to rare species or habitats, it would be a good idea to record them and log them with organisations such as Caring for Gods Acre. You don't have to be an expert botanist to this (although it would be brilliant if you were!) as apps such as seek are excellent at identifying plant, insect and fungi species. You never know, you may discover something that makes headlines like these:
If, on the other hand, the land surrounding your place of worship could be injected with a bit more life; or you are confident you can make changes without disrupting the existing species/habitat; then the wildlife trust has an excellent guide here. A Rocha has also created a brilliant guide for looking after church land specifically here. You could aim to add this land to the B-line insect highway which looks to restore, conserve, and map pockets of flower rich land, helping our native pollinators recover.
It is however, quite tricky to ensure land is being managed in the most Eco Friendly and sustainable manner, even with the best of intentions. Churchyards and graveyards, for example are home to an abundance of rare species, and land owned by places of worship can incorporate rare habitats. If you believe your place of worship may be home to rare species or habitats, it would be a good idea to record them and log them with organisations such as Caring for Gods Acre. You don't have to be an expert botanist to this (although it would be brilliant if you were!) as apps such as seek are excellent at identifying plant, insect and fungi species. You never know, you may discover something that makes headlines like these:
- Rare 'back from the brink' bat discovered in Somerset church by volunteers
- Rare Mushrooms in Welsh churchyards
If, on the other hand, the land surrounding your place of worship could be injected with a bit more life; or you are confident you can make changes without disrupting the existing species/habitat; then the wildlife trust has an excellent guide here. A Rocha has also created a brilliant guide for looking after church land specifically here. You could aim to add this land to the B-line insect highway which looks to restore, conserve, and map pockets of flower rich land, helping our native pollinators recover.
