The Church of England’s governing body has voted against a motion to “rewild” 30% of its land.

The Church is one of the UK’s largest land owners, with 103,000 acres of rural space. The majority of this is used for commercial farming – with 3.5% of it protected for nature.

A motion was submitted by Rev Canon Val Plumb, an area dean in Oxford. It proposed that the Church commit to ascribing 30% of its land for nature by 2030 – or “30by30”.

It mirrors a government “30by30” commitment, which is considered to be the minimum amount of land rewilding needed to prevent a global ecosystem breakdown. “Rewilding” involves planting biodiverse vegetation, which will eventually become a self-sustaining area of land, growing naturally without the need for much human intervention.

However, instead of adopting Rev Canon Plumb’s motion, the Church’s lead bishop for the environment, Rt Rev Graham Usher, proposed an alternative plan, which was “six steps to 30by30”.

This would involve “where appropriate, continuing to support nature restoration projects” and “engaging and collaborating with tenants about sustainable farming”.

The environmental organisation Wild Card has long been campaigning for the Church to commit to 30by30. It described the move as a "watering down" of the Church's approach to climate change. 

“Unfortunately, the Synod missed the opportunity to show moral leadership and set a clear, measurable area-based target to protect nature on Church land," said campaigner Claire Rogers. "At a time when wildlife is collapsing in our countryside, we need much greater action than has been committed to today."

A spokespeson for the Church Commissioners told Premier Chrisitan News: “We welcome the amended motion that was passed yesterday and are pleased that Synod has embraced a collaborative approach that balances further support for nature with our legal and fiduciary obligations.

“Because around 90% of our farmland portfolio is productive or highly productive agricultural land, our focus lies on integrating nature recovery into working landscapes, supporting food production, and fostering the resilience of rural UK businesses.”