"Hope for God's Earth": Christian conservation and mission in the Anthropocene

Whilst social science literature on the (problematically termed) Anthropocene is burgeoning, little attention at present is being paid to what is happening to religion in the Anthropocene and the difference religion might make as we find our way in it, and this is the topic I plan to address in my research. I shall carry out 18 months of fieldwork with the organisation A Rocha Kenya, based in Watamu, a coastal town north of Mombasa. A Rocha Kenya is a Christian conservation organisation linked to 19 other A Rocha groups globally. Their work involves supporting the conservation of the nearby marine national park and Arabuko-Sokoke forest through scientific research and environmental education whilst also encouraging poverty alleviation and human development among the local communities, such as the indigenous Giriama group of the Mijikenda people, who are largely dependent on subsistence agriculture. The global network of A Rocha organisations is explicitly Christian and presents conservation work as part of Christian mission, viewing creation care as an integral part of Christian practice.