Forests once covered an estimated 40% of Ethiopia’s landscape. Today, only 2% of the country’s original forests remain intact, dotting the country with small pockets of green.

On a closer look, many of Ethiopia’s surviving forests share one key feature: a church, nestled within the trees. These "church forests” are mini oases of biodiversity. They provide vital ecosystem services such as food and fresh water to local people, while serving as sacred spaces of worship for the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church which protects and maintains them.

Ethiopia’s church forests are just one example of a growing movement among faith-based organizations to support and lead on forest restoration. But they could play a much bigger role moving forward. Thanks to their broad influence, significant land holdings and, in many cases, pro-environmental values, faith-based groups can be powerful allies in restoration projects worldwide.

While faith organizations have largely been overlooked in mainstream restoration efforts to date, stronger collaboration with them presents an important opportunity for governments, NGOs and others working on restoration to expand their efforts and deepen their impacts. 

Protecting and Restoring the World’s Forests Requires All Hands On Deck

Forests are some of the world’s strongest bulwarks against climate change, sequestering billions of tonnes of carbon each year while providing ecosystem services that make communities more resilient, from food and freshwater security to rainfall and climate regulation.

Yet despite widespread pledges to halt and reverse deforestation, forest loss has continued at a staggering pace: In 2021, the world lost about 11 football (soccer) pitches worth of forest per minute. While countries must act swiftly to curb this deforestation, stepping up restoration efforts will also be critical to mitigating global temperature rise and avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.

In expanding restoration efforts, governments cannot and should not act alone. Smaller-scale, locally led efforts — such as those driven by Indigenous and grassroots community groups in Latin America and Africa — have proven key to effective restoration in many cases. Collaboration with faith-based organizations has been limited so far. But many of these groups are increasingly espousing and acting on pro-environmental values, creating opportunities for innovative new partnerships.

Why Faith Organizations Can Be Key Players in Restoration

While not all faith-based organizations prioritize sustainable forestry, certain groups, like Ethiopia’s Tewahedo Orthodox Church, actively strive to manage their lands sustainably. For them, a pro-environmental approach is an integral part of their identity, evoking a religious motivation to protect and restore not only specific forests that are considered sacred or culturally important, but also broader forest ecosystems. This commitment can stem from the perception of nature itself — often seen as Mother Earth or a manifestation of divine creation — as deserving of veneration.

One notable example is the Laudato Si’ Encyclical from Pope Francis. The Papal letter, which emphasized the importance of caring for the natural environment, prompted a multi-faith response and inspired The Laudato Si’ Action Platform, which has fostered sustainability initiatives worldwide. Representatives from the Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, and Orthodox Church together with the Anglican Communion have also issued statements and declarations in support of environmental protection.

When it comes to restoration efforts, faith-based organizations can be powerful allies and champions for several reasons:

• Broad influence: According to Pew Research Center, about 84% of the world’s population is affiliated with a religion, and even those without a specific religious affiliation hold religious or spiritual beliefs. This suggests that leveraging faith-based approaches to sustainability and restoration can reach a significant portion of the population.

• Unique perspectives and knowledge: Certain faith-based organizations can bring a profound understanding of stewardship and the oneness of all life through diverse religious and cultural perspectives — such as Indigenous cosmovisions and other forms of local wisdom. This may help promote an action-oriented or practical wisdom approach to protecting and restoring forests and landscapes.

• Substantial land holdings and assets: Faith-based organizations own about 8% of habitable land (an estimated 510 million hectares) and approximately 5% of commercial forests, creating ample opportunities to demonstrate sustainable land management and restoration practices. Faith groups also hold nearly 10% of the world's total financial investment and have a significant presence in education, media and publishing. Collaborating with these organizations, even if not all are fully committed to sustainability at present, has the potential to catalyze transformative changes and expedite global progress on restoration initiatives.

Some faith-based organizations are already taking an active approach to forest and landscape restoration, with initiatives spanning from Ethiopia to India, Japan, the Philippines and beyond.