A 200-STRONG flash mob surprised visitors and churchgoers at St Paul’s Cathedral, on Saturday evening, with a musical message calling on the Church Commissioners to rewild church land.
Members of the Climate Choir Movement, alongside the campaign group Wild Card, burst into voice just before evensong at the cathedral, asking the Commissioners to commit themselves to rewilding 30 per cent of their 105,000 acres of land by 2030.
The Revd Sue Parfitt, a member of Christian Climate Action, was among the singers. She said: “Creation care is so pivotal to our faith in the Church of England that we have it as the fifth mark of mission. What a blessing, then, that we have the chance to put this into motion so practically, when it comes to the land the Church owns!
“Caring for our land through rewilding, alongside responsible and sustainable agriculture, would create such beautiful ecosystems, where biodiversity can thrive. Let’s bring back a sense of awe to this country, where we can feel God in the blowing of the wind through the wild trees and grasses.”
Andrea DomeniconiThe Revd Sue Parfitt
Choir members held images of native British species while singing a reworked version of the hymn “All things bright and beautiful”. The new lyrics challenged the Commissioners to demonstrate greater consideration for wildlife, asking: “Does not nature cry out, For understanding, for restoration, for all creation. For life.”
A spokesperson for St Paul’s Cathedral said: “Shortly before evensong on Saturday, a group of demonstrators entered St Paul’s Cathedral; staff immediately engaged with them, and asked them to leave. The group left peacefully after a short time, and evensong took place as usual.”
The demonstration took place before the UN World Wildlife Day on Monday. The UK is in the bottom ten per cent of nations globally for biodiversity. Friends of the Earth report that three per cent of the Commissioners’ land is wooded, compared with an average of ten per cent among institutional landowners.
A Wild Card co-founder, Hazel Draper, said: “The UK is signed up to the United Nations goal of restoring and protecting 30 per cent of land and seas by 2030, but it cannot achieve this without action from the country’s largest landowners. This is where the Church can, and should, be showing leadership.
“Hearing the voices of the Climate Choir ring out in support of nature, in one of the world’s most recognisable places of worship, sends a clear message to the Church Commissioners that they must fulfil their moral obligation to protect all creatures great and small.”
In October, Wild Card held an event outside St Paul’s, in which the BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham unrolled a nine-metre scroll described as the “95 Wild Theses”, which included arguments for the Commissioners to rewild their land (News, 11 October 2024).
Andrea DomeniconiMembers of the Climate Choir Movement, alongside the campaign group Wild Card, take part in the unscheduled event in St Paul’s Cathedral before evensong, on Saturday
The Commissioners’ head of sustainability for real assets, Paul Jaffe, said: “We are deeply committed to supporting nature through a range of initiatives. We focus on sustainable farming practices, collaborate with organisations like the RSPB and FWAG, and actively integrate biodiversity projects, such as 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, and thus large-scale rewilding is not appropriate for our highly productive farmland.”
Joe Ware is senior climate journalist at Christian Aid.
