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The Bible and Biodiversity

02.06.2017

Time 10:00 - 13:00

Speaker(s)

Rev Dave Bookless

This is part of a series of discussions which consider, from a variety of different directions, the claim of Sir Sir David Attebourough that the world would not be greatly different if pandas became extinct.

Outline:

The ethical foundations which underpin the wildlife conservation movement face a crisis: what gives nature its value? Anthropocentric views (which see the world as here to serve human interests) and ecocentric views (which aim to value all species equally) compete but are flawed. In contrast, a biblical perspective emphasises that both human and non-human creatures are made for the glory of God and have value directly in relation to God. This has significant implications for Christian attitudes to biodiversity conservation and for the conservation movement, which are explored in this paper.

About the speaker:

Dave Bookless is Director of Theology for A Rocha International and is completing a PhD in a theological approach to biodiversity conservation at Cambridge University. He has over 20 years’ experience in speaking on environmental issues in many countries, has authored two books (including Planetwise) and contributed to over 20 others. He is an Associate of the Faraday Institute and a member of the Church of England’s Environmental Working Group.

Getting involved:

These discussions are aimed at people active in research fields relating to conservation. If you would like to be involved please contact Mike Brownnutt.

Dave Bookless will also give a public lecture at HKU called Can We Have Abundant Life Without Trashing the Planet? (And does it matter anyway?).