Our values and our mission
A Rocha France is a Christian environmental protection organisation. Born in Portugal in 1983 in the place from which it takes its name (A Rocha, “the Rock” in Portuguese), it has from the outset directed its choices and concentrated its activities along two lines:
- Raising awareness, particularly among Christians, to bring about a change in human behaviour that will lead to respect for the environment (in particular, the fight against climate change and the collapse of biodiversity).
- To work actively on the ground to preserve and restore nature through scientific studies.
Established in 20 countries around the world, and thus present on five continents, A Rocha builds all its projects on the basis of five common principles. In France, A Rocha celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020. We invite you to discover our many activities through our activity reports.
Why Christians in conservation?
The reasons for conserving nature and its biodiversity are not only utilitarian in nature: they are fundamentally ethical and moral, and point to values that transcend time and human interest. For Christians, they have their origin in biblical values that provide a solid foundation for environmental action. We highlight four:
Out of love: God created out of love, and God loves all his creation. Taking care of his work is an act of love towards God, but also towards our neighbour.
Out of obedience: God gave man a mandate to “cultivate and care for” the garden. As stewards of the land, we must preserve it and all that it contains.
Out of justice: The great injustice of our time is the environmental crisis, caused by the richest and affecting the poorest first. Taking action for the environment helps to reduce injustice and improve the future for all.
Out of hope: We can do something because God supports his creation and helps us in this task. Our actions reflect a God of hope and not fate.
You can find a brief history of A Rocha here on the site of A Rocha International.