Organization:A Rocha

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Short description: International environmental organization


A Rocha
PredecessorA Rocha Trust[1]
Founded13 December 1983;
40 years ago (1983-12-13)
FounderMiranda and Peter Harris[2]
Typeenvironmental NGO network
Focuscommunity-based conservation projects[3]
HeadquartersLondon, UK
OriginsConstituted in the UK[4]
Area served
Worldwide
International chair
Soohwan Park
Key people
Ed Walker (Executive Director, ARI) • Andy Atkins (CEO, A Rocha UK)[5] • Rev Dave Bookless (Head of Theology, ARI)[6]
Revenue
GBP 0.8M for ARI (2017),[4] £4.6M globally[7]:18 (2016)
Employees
144 (FTE)[7]:20
Volunteers
841[7]:20
Websitearocha.org

A Rocha is an international network of environmental organizations with Christian ethos. A Rocha means "the rock" in Portuguese (see entry Rocha).

History

A Rocha International was founded in Portugal in 1983.[8] The A Rocha Worldwide Covenant defines the rights and responsibilities of each A Rocha entity to the others.

As of 2024, A Rocha is working in over 20 countries: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Ghana, India , Kenya, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand/Aotearoa, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland , Uganda, United Kingdom, and United States.[9] There are ongoing conversations with other potential groups around the world, particularly in East and Southeast Asia.[7]:8–9

A Rocha has five core commitments: Christian, Conservation, Community, Collaboration, and Cultural diversity.[3]

Work

A Rocha aims to protect the environment through local, community-based conservation, scientific research, and environmental education,[10] and they have “a track record of successes”.[11]

A bird ringer ageing a Hoopoe at the Cruzinha field studies centre, Portugal

A Rocha operates field study centres in Canada (two centres), France (two centres), India, Kenya, Portugal[12] and also in the Czech Republic.[13] These serve primarily as a base for A Rocha's and other organisations’ field studies and for environmental education, and most also offer accommodation for visitors.

Areas of A Rocha's work include:

  • Species and landscape surveying and monitoring, such as raptor counts in Pembina Valley, Canada,[14] camera trapping of mammals in India,[15] the Kenya Bird Map,[16] dry grassland biodiversity surveys in Switzerland[17] and mapping tropical forests using unmanned aerial vehicles[18][19]
  • Habitat and species restoration projects, such as mangrove restoration projects in Ghana,[20] and improving breeding chances for Grey-faced petrels by eradicating invasive mammals, restoring habitats and deploying artificial nests in Raglan, New Zealand,[21] control of invasive Indian House crow in Kenya
  • Reducing human–wildlife conflict in India, notably with elephants[22][23] and leopards[24]
  • Setting up private or public parks and reserves such as the Kirosa Scott Reserve in Kenya,[25] and Foxearth Reserve[26] and Minet Country Park in the UK
  • Enlarging and campaigning for the safeguarding of existing natural and protected areas, such as the Atewa Forest in Ghana,[27] and the Alvor Estuary in Portugal[28][29]
  • Bridging biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods, such as via sustainable agriculture and community garden projects across Canada;[30] the Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Eco-tourism Scheme in Kenya;[22][31] the establishment of CREMAs (community resource management areas) around Mole National Park[22] and Lake Bosumtwi,[32] Ghana; and training community members in Uganda to construct bio-sand water filters[33]
  • Environmental education activities and resources, such as the Wild Lebanon website in Lebanon[34] and "creation care camps" in the USA[35]
  • Carbon footprint reduction and mitigation projects, such as producing charcoal briquettes from waste in Uganda,[36] the "Eco Church" church greening programme in the UK,[37][38] and running "Climate Stewards", a global programme which encourages people to reduce their carbon footprint, and accepts donations to offset emissions via community forestry and cookstove projects in Ghana, Kenya and Mexico[39]
  • Cooperating worldwide for nature conservation, such as being a member of IUCN[40] and IUCN's European Habitats Forum[41]
  • Engaging Christian communities with the relevance of nature conservation to the Christian faith, through conferences,[42] speaking engagements,[43] books[44] and papers,[6] and partnerships such as the Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network[45]

A Rocha also serves as an Erasmus+ / European Voluntary Service agency in France,[46] the Netherlands[47] and Portugal.[48]

References

  1. ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales. A Rocha Trust. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  2. ↑ A Rocha. Peter Harris. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 A Rocha. Meet A Rocha. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales. A Rocha International. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. ↑ A Rocha UK. Meet the team. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bookless, Dave. The Bible and Biodiversity. The Jubilee Centre Cambridge Papers. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 A Rocha. International Review 2016/17. Retrieved from http://www.arocha.org/en/publications/international-review-20162017/ on 29 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Elsdon, Ron (1992) Greenhouse Theology pp 193–195, Monarch, ISBN:1-85424-153-2.
  9. ↑ A Rocha. Overview. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Marina. The Church of England Newspaper 1 August 2008: A Rocha: Spearheading the Green revolution in the church.
  11. ↑ Awoyemi, S. M. (2008). "The Role of Religion in the HIV/AIDS Intervention in Africa: A Possible Model for Conservation Biology". Conservation Biology 22 (4): 811–813. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01007.x. PMID 18786094. 
  12. ↑ A Rocha. Stay at our field study centres. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  13. ↑ A Rocha Czech Republic. Our field study centre Krupárna – The Mill. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  14. ↑ Stelmach, Lorne (17 June 2013). "Record raptor counts in the valley". The Morden Times (Morden, Manitoba). http://www.pembinatoday.ca/2013/06/17/record-raptor-counts-in-the-valley. 
  15. ↑ A Rocha India. Camera trapping. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  16. ↑ Animal Demography Unit, University of Cape Town. Welcome to the Kenya Bird Map project. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  17. ↑ A Rocha. Dry grasslands biodiversity surveys. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  18. ↑ A Rocha. Mapping tropical forests. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  19. ↑ Vaglio Laurin G, Chan JC-W, Chen Q, Lindsell JA, Coomes DA, Guerriero L, et al. (2014) Biodiversity Mapping in a Tropical West African Forest with Airborne Hyperspectral Data. PLOS ONE 9(6): e97910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0097910. Published 17 June 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  20. ↑ A Rocha Ghana. Community mangrove restoration project. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  21. ↑ Smallman, Elton Rikihana (14 September 2016). "Oi, grey faced petrel making a Raglan comeback". Stuff. http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/84121485/oi-grey-faced-petrel-making-a-raglan-comeback. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Sluka, Robert D.; Kaonga, Martin; Weatherley, Janice; Anand, Vijay; Bosu, Daryl; Jackson, Colin (2011). "Christians, biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation: a potential synergy?". Biodiversity 12 (2): 1–8. doi:10.1080/14888386.2011.599780. 
  23. ↑ Varma, S., Anand.V.D., Gopalakrishna S.P., Avinash, K.G., and Nishant M.S. (2009). Ecology, Conservation and Management of the Asian Elephant in Bannerghatta National Park, southern India. A Rocha India/ANCF: Asian Elephant Ecology and Conservation Reference Series No.1. A Rocha India and Asian Nature Conservation Foundation, Bangalore. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  24. ↑ A Rocha. Bangalore Leopard attack – what now?. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  25. ↑ A Rocha Kenya. Dakatcha Woodland. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  26. ↑ A Rocha UK. Foxearth: dawn of a new quest. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  27. ↑ A Rocha Ghana. Save Atewa Forest . Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  28. ↑ Taylor, Jenny (29 February 2012). "Religiously literate campaign secures prison sentence for rogue developer in Portuguese beauty spot". http://www.lapidomedia.com/religiously-literate-campaign-secures-prison-sentence-rogue-developer-portuguese-beauty-spot. 
  29. ↑ Donn, Natasha (5 February 2015). "Environmentalists slam council over Ria de Alvor development plans". Portugal Resident. http://portugalresident.com/environmentalists-slam-council-over-ria-de-alvor-development-plans. 
  30. ↑ A Rocha Canada. Sustainable Agriculture: Creation care through food. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  31. ↑ Collins, Susan Ashley (March 2008). ransformative Learning Through Conservation: A Case Study of the Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Eco-tourism Scheme, Kenya (PDF) (Master of Natural Resource Management). Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  32. ↑ A Rocha Ghana. Collaborative Ecosystems Conservation of Lake Bosumtwi. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  33. ↑ French Republic . 100 Projects for the Climate: Women, Water & Climate. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  34. ↑ A Rocha Lebanon. Wild Lebanon – Powered by A Rocha. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  35. ↑ A Rocha USA. Creation Care Camp. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  36. ↑ A Rocha Uganda. Charcoal briquettes. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  37. ↑ "Eco Church" (in en). https://www.churchofengland.org/about/environment-and-climate-change/eco-church. 
  38. ↑ "St Paul's Goes Green for Eco Church". St Paul's Cathedral. 4 February 2016. https://www.stpauls.co.uk/news-press/latest-news/st-pauls-goes-green-for-eco-church. 
  39. ↑ Climate Stewards. Home page. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  40. ↑ IUCN. Members database. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  41. ↑ IUCN. European Habitats Forum. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  42. ↑ Regent College. Holy Ground: Answering God’s Call to Creation Care. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  43. ↑ Olelo Community Media (5 September 2016). IUCN 2016: High-level Session 5 Sep – Connections: Spirituality & Conservation (ID: #WCC_13830) (Video). Honolulu, Hawai‘i: IUCN. Retrieved 26 October 2016.Template:Dead YouTube link
  44. ↑ Naylor, Chris. Postcards from the Middle East: How our family fell in love with the Arab world. Oxford, England 2015: Lion Hudson.
  45. ↑ Lausanne/WEA Creation Care Network. About. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  46. ↑ European Youth Portal. Volunteering organisation information: A Rocha France. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  47. ↑ European Youth Portal. Volunteering organisation information: Stichting A Rocha Nederland. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  48. ↑ European Youth Portal. Volunteering organisation information: A Rocha – Associação Cristã de Estudo e Defesa do Ambiente. Retrieved 25 October 2016.

External links



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