Faith in Conservation: New Approaches to Religions and the Environment

None of the work, ideas, projects, or events described in this book would have been possible without the team at the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture (ICOREC) and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), and it is a delight to be able to honor the work they each have done. In particular, Joanne Robinson, who ever since Assisi in 1986 has been my key colleague in developing the ideas; Jeannie Dunn, my assistant, without whom nothing worthwhile could happen; John Smith, whose pioneering work on Sacred Land rims through this book; Paola Triolo, whose excellent attention to detail has ensured the success of so many projects; Richard Prime, with whom I have discussed so much over the years; Tjalling Halbertsma, whose astonishing work in China and Mongolia has led the way in helping us see the potential of religious involvement there.

We also owe a great debt to those who help ARC to carry on its work. To Brian Pilkington, Chairman of ARC, whose commitment to the work has been greater than any of us have a right to expect; to Ivan Hattingh and Peter Martin, who first saw the possibilities and gave us such freedom to develop the potential; Rob Soutter, whose inspired idea it was to launch Sacred Gifts; our friends in MOA Japan, whose stalwart support for ARC from day one has been a bedrock on which we have built; Tony Whitten at the World Bank, who has been one of our strongest supporters; and of course, James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, whose excitement at the possibilities has been infectious.

Nicki Marrian, Mark Ingebretsen, and their colleagues in the World Bank’s Office of the Publisher who worked on the idea of the book and then the editing have been heroic in their willingness to discuss, debate, and revise.

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