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.[12] The A Rocha Worldwide Covenant defines the rights and responsibilities of each A Rocha entity to the others.
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,[14] and they have “a track record of successes”.[15]
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[16] and also in the Czech Republic.[17] 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.
Habitat and species restoration projects, such as
mangrove restoration projects in Ghana,[24] and improving breeding chances for
Grey-faced petrels by eradicating invasive mammals, restoring habitats and deploying artificial nests in
Raglan, New Zealand,[25] control of invasive Indian House crow in Kenya [26]
Setting up private or public parks and reserves such as the Kirosa Scott Reserve in Kenya,[30] and Foxearth Reserve[31] 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,[32] and the
Alvor Estuary in Portugal[33][34]
Environmental education activities and resources, such as the Wild Lebanon website in Lebanon[39] and "
creation care camps" in the USA[40]
Carbon footprint reduction and mitigation projects, such as producing charcoal briquettes from waste in Uganda,[41] the "Eco Church" church
greening programme in the UK,[42][43] 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[44]
Cooperating worldwide for nature conservation, such as being a member of
IUCN[45] and IUCN's European Habitats Forum[46]
Engaging Christian communities with the relevance of nature conservation to the Christian faith, through conferences,[47] speaking engagements,[48] books[49] and papers,[8] and partnerships such as the
Lausanne/
WEA Creation Care Network[50]
^Stelmach, Lorne (17 June 2013).
"Record raptor counts in the valley". The Morden Times. Morden, Manitoba. Retrieved 26 October 2016 – via pembinatoday.ca.
^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.
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.[12] The A Rocha Worldwide Covenant defines the rights and responsibilities of each A Rocha entity to the others.
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,[14] and they have “a track record of successes”.[15]
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[16] and also in the Czech Republic.[17] 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.
Habitat and species restoration projects, such as
mangrove restoration projects in Ghana,[24] and improving breeding chances for
Grey-faced petrels by eradicating invasive mammals, restoring habitats and deploying artificial nests in
Raglan, New Zealand,[25] control of invasive Indian House crow in Kenya [26]
Setting up private or public parks and reserves such as the Kirosa Scott Reserve in Kenya,[30] and Foxearth Reserve[31] 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,[32] and the
Alvor Estuary in Portugal[33][34]
Environmental education activities and resources, such as the Wild Lebanon website in Lebanon[39] and "
creation care camps" in the USA[40]
Carbon footprint reduction and mitigation projects, such as producing charcoal briquettes from waste in Uganda,[41] the "Eco Church" church
greening programme in the UK,[42][43] 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[44]
Cooperating worldwide for nature conservation, such as being a member of
IUCN[45] and IUCN's European Habitats Forum[46]
Engaging Christian communities with the relevance of nature conservation to the Christian faith, through conferences,[47] speaking engagements,[48] books[49] and papers,[8] and partnerships such as the
Lausanne/
WEA Creation Care Network[50]
^Stelmach, Lorne (17 June 2013).
"Record raptor counts in the valley". The Morden Times. Morden, Manitoba. Retrieved 26 October 2016 – via pembinatoday.ca.
^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.