Necessary and Biblically Justifiable to Marry Farming and Biodiversity

Posted September 4, 2006 in News

Scotland's Environment Chief has told farmers that they need to "get real" in terms of managing the environment. For example, a farm that uses 100,000 litres of water per day for irrigation is using sufficient water for 6,000 people and a serious business. (Mind you, I think a farm is a serious business too). Similarly, burning plastic is pollution creation, irregardless of whether you are in the city or on a farm.

On a brighter note, in North Carolina, they are finding that wildlife corridors are helping with biodiversity. Similarly, irrigators in Australia's southern Riverina area sponsored a wildlife survey, which found more than 300 unusual or endangered animals living on irrigation properties.

This is not a surprised, as Western Australia already has some excellent results from such collaborative endeavours which have been going on since the 1980s. e.g. this research paper from nefadotorg and this Stateline interview with Atticus Fleming from Australian Wildlife Conservancy concludes with the comment that the task of saving our wildlife is just too big a job for government acting on its own.

But we should also be heartened that it is possible to run farms and care for the environment at the same time. It is not a case of one or the other, but simply being smarter in how we do things. It is also biblical, as Rabbi Lawrence Troster covers in this paper "Ten Jewish Teachings on Judaism and the Environment". Mark I. Wallace's book "Finding God in the Singing River: Christianity, Spirit, Nature" is also worthwhile.

The need to care for the environment and creation is An Inconvenient Truth that is being recognised by the broader faith communities such as the US Baptists (Al Gore's documentary would be one factor that has helped spearhead this development). Others (like Bono with World Poverty) such as scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author E.O. Wilson, have come to recognise that scientists and people of faith have a common need to save the planet and his latest book "The Creation: A meeting of science and religion" aims to assist in that campaign. 

OTHER LINKS Business Scotsman United Pres International 

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