Working with universities and colleges

Academic institutions are increasingly using A Rocha’s field study centres as research bases for staff and students. Researchers appreciate their proximity to choice sites and enjoy being part of a conservation-focused community. A Rocha gains from the expertise, exchange of ideas and academic input, as well as the income. We particularly value the obvious benefits of increased data about the local wildlife and habitats which we are working to protect.

Garry Oak on Salt Spring Island, BC. Photo: Stephanie Leusink

Garry Oak on Salt Spring Island, BC, being studied by A Rocha Canada and Trinity Western University

Since 2004, the A Rocha Canada team in British Columbia has been working closely with the Environmental Studies programme at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. There have been two major shared projects: the study and management of Garry Oak Quercus garryana ecosystems (one of the regions’ most threatened habitats) and the biology of the Oregon Forest Snail Allogona townsendiana, a mollusc endemic to the Pacific Northwest, red-listed in BC. The post of Field Resources Co-ordinator at TWU is a shared one with financial and philosophical commitments from each side towards common conservation goals.

Dr Jack Van Dyke, Dean of the TWU Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, says “The partnership with A Rocha is excellent for TWU because it offers our students opportunities to practice stewardship on local projects in the lower mainland of BC. This has already resulted in several excellent studies that are being recognized in the academic community. It also introduces students to the A Rocha organization which will provide continual opportunities and challenges for them to engage in Creation stewardship as part of their lifestyle after leaving university.” Markku Kostamo, the A Rocha Canada Director, says the partnership “provides academic rigour to A Rocha’s work and a link to students and, in some cases, future staff.”

Bridging the gap between business and the environment was the theme of the fourth joint conference recently organised by A Rocha Canada, A Rocha International and Regent College in Vancouver, an international theological college preparing students for leadership in a wide range of vocations and professions. The conference case study was a contentious issue: the Oil Sands of Alberta, the second largest oil reserve in the world, which will by 2020 contribute an estimated 20% of Alberta’s GDP, produce up to 4 million barrels of oil per day and contribute significantly to Canada’s carbon emissions. Theologians and an economist from Regent debated the issues with three heavyweights from the field of politics (Preston Manning, Former Leader of the Opposition), environmentalism (Dr Cal deWitt) and business (Clive Mathers, former CEO of Shell Canada). A Rocha Canada continues to engage the business community in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and across the nation, challenging people to create wealth in ways which demonstrate a love for God, people and the rest of creation.

Dr Robert Thomas of the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, Wales, UK, is researching the effect of environmental change on the behaviour and ecology of wild animals.

He writes, “A Rocha Portugal has been studying the European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus since 1990, catching and ringing hundreds of these tiny seabirds each summer as they migrate northwards along the coast from their wintering quarters in the ocean off southern Africa. For me, being able to work with the A Rocha team, leading their petrel research programme and using their field study centre as a base, is a major highlight of each year. A Rocha has been crucial to my own development as a scientist and as a Christian. I am proud to be working in partnership with the Portuguese team, bringing other scientists and volunteers from around the world to take part in the life of the community and one of its most exciting scientific projects. I look forward to developing this partnership over the coming years.”

Leopard caught in camera trap, Ghana. Photo: Cole Burton

A leopard 'caught' in one of the camera traps being used by A Rocha Ghana and the University of California to study the mammals of Mole National Park

Cole Burton and Daryl Bosu from A Rocha Ghana setting camera trap. Photo: UC Berkeley

Cole Burton from Berkeley and Daryl Bosu of A Rocha Ghana setting a camera trap

A Rocha Ghana is one of the principal partners of the University of California, Berkeley, USA for the field surveys of carnivores and other large mammals within and round Mole National Park and Ankasa Conservation Area. Cole Burton, from the University’s Department of Environmental Science, comments, “A Rocha Ghana is working with communities around Mole National Park to address the critical issue of sustainable rural development in the context of wildlife conservation. Without active community engagement and co-operation, the park’s conservation goals will not be met, and A Rocha is making great strides in this direction. They have been a valuable partner in our efforts to better understand the challenges and opportunities for wildlife conservation in Ghana”.

Originally published in the A Rocha International Review 2007-2008.