Church right to promote biodiversity, says Bishop of Norwich

The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, says a Church biodiversity moves sends an important message

A Church of England decision to promote biodiversity on its land sends a "very important message", a bishop has said.

The Bishop of Norwich, the Right Reverend Graham Usher, said the Church had a "prophetic voice to the whole world".

Bishop Usher said the Church could not expect others to enhance biodiversity if it did not do the same.

He was speaking to the BBC after the Church's General Synod backed measures to promote biodiversity on Church land.

Bishop Usher told BBC Radio Norfolk: "If we are not getting our house in order why we expect anyone else to?

"So, to look at how we reduce our carbon emissions, to look at how we enhance biodiversity on our land, sends a very powerful message."

The Bishop of Norwich says the Church is right to promote biodiversity in graveyards

He said the Synod's decision sent a particularly important message to the Anglicans in the "poorest parts" of the world who were on the "front line of climate change".

Bishop Usher, the Church of England's lead Bishop for the Environment, also told a recent General Synod debate that there was a "need for immediate action" to promote biodiversity.

Bishop Graham has backed plans by the General Synod to promote biodiversity on Church land

The Church's land and nature motion aims to give biodiversity "equal consideration with net zero carbon" as an urgent response to the "ecological crisis".

Dioceses will be encouraged to develop their own land "action plan".

"We are all too aware that this single island planet home of ours faces the twin interrelated crises of climate change and biodiversity loss," he told the Synod.

"We are one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world - 2% of species are already extinct - 41% of species have declined since 1970, 26% of our mammals are at risk of extinction and 97% of UK's wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s.

He added: "We need to act now to help the diversity of life on this single island planet home we share."