ECO MATTERS

April 2026

Eco Report – Caring for our Planet

Wild animals are secretly mitigating human-made climate change through their natural behaviour. As the planet edges closer to irreversible damage, wild animals around the world are staging their own secret fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. Human activity such as deforestation and extensive animal agriculture has also wrecked biodiversity, pushing many species towards extinction. But behind the scenes, wild animals are using their natural behaviour to help mitigate some of the turmoil we have created. Without them, the future prosperity of our planet is in peril. Here are a few examples of positive animal activity:

Tigers– Forests with native tigers tend to store up to 12 per cent more carbon per hectare. This is due to tigers hunting deer and wild boar, which would otherwise prevent trees and plants from growing.

Green Turtles No longer on the endangered list, green turtles in Australia consume seagrass seeds and transport them elsewhere – sometimes transporting the crucial carbon store as far as 650km away. Dugongs, also called sea cows, also help spread seagrass around, including in the increasingly threatened Great Barrier Reef.

Beavers – Their dam-building ability can act as a natural flood defence. This is even more important in a warming world, as for every 1℃ rise in air temperature, the atmosphere can hold around seven per cent more moisture – which can lead to more intense and heavy rainfall. Last year, a family of beavers made the headlines after building a dam exactly where authorities had been planning one in Czechia. It saved taxpayers around CZK 30 million (€1.2 million). Beavers’ dams can also act as a natural firebreak, with research showing beaver-dammed areas are three times less affected by wildfires. This helps vegetation stay green and lush, and protects vital carbon-sucking areas.

Source – Euronews. Maria Boys.

Eco Prayer

Creator God, source of all life

You spoke, and the universe burst into being Abundant, full of wonder and life,

Everything expressing praise to You, God of wonders!

We add our voices to the praises of the created world.

We pray this month that in our journey alongside you

We may serve you by our prayers for our world,

and the challenges we face in the warming climate.

Inspire us by your Holy Spirit To act faithfully

to safeguard Creation in every way we are able,

Not thinking of ourselves But loving our neighbours in all places

So that in our Synod, as in our local churches,

and the whole company of your Church

Your Righteousness, Justice and Peace may flow

In love to all

Amen (from Wessex Synod)

 

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