Alliance of Religions and Conservation (1995-2019), international NGO based in the UK

Correspondence and papers reflecting the work of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) with faith organisations and communities around the world involved planning, developing, and delivering a broad range of environmental initiatives, projects, and events, some relatively small scale and local, others more ambitious across countries and continents. From Mongolia and Syria to India and Kenya, from the protection of scared sites and the restoration of centres of pilgrimage to agroforestry, wastewater treatment and wildlife habitats, ARC facilitated and supported innovative programmes of education and ground-breaking collaborative action for more than two decades.

The material also includes papers of ARC's predecessor body the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture (ICOREC).

After studying theology at the University of Cambridge, Martin Palmer worked as an advisor on religious education in schools in Manchester. By the early 1980s he was acting as a consultant on religion and the environment to HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, International President of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). He subsequently set up the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture (ICOREC) to co-ordinate this work at a time when the WWF was seeking to expand its activities in the area. At the organisation's 25th anniversary celebrations held in Assisi, Italy, 25th-29th September 1986, the WWF Conservation and Religion Network was established. Co-ordinated by ICOREC, the Network aimed to strengthen links between religious and conservation groups, develop field projects, improve education and awareness, and foster collaborative engagement. Initially ICOREC and the WWF Conservation and Religion Network partnered with five world faiths - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. More faiths joined as work progressed.

By 1995, as the scope of its activities expanded, the volume of Network business grew and, in response, the foundation of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) was announced during the WWF Summit on Religions and Conservation at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, UK. Funding for ARC came from the WWF, the Pilkington Foundation, and the Mokito Okada Association (MOA) Foundation of Japan with important support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. Martin Palmer was appointed Secretary General and ARC took over the work of the WWF Religions and Conservation Network with the objective of promoting, for the public benefit, the protection of the natural environment in accordance with the teachings and beliefs of the world's religions.

Originally based in Manchester, ARC relocated to Bath in 2006. The Alliance of Religions and Conservation ceased activities in 2019.

Section A, Administration & Supporters, covers the period from 1993 to 2019. It contains formal papers relating to the establishment of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation in 1995, and the subsequent operation, management, and administration of the organisation.

Section B, Correspondence, covers the period from 1980 to 2019 and is divided into three sub-sections. It contains Alliance of Religions and Conservation correspondence which mainly comprises copies of letters to and from HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who played a critical role in the foundation of the organisation and remained one its most influential supporters.

Section C, Faith Projects, consists of a sequence of folders containing material relating to the development and delivery of Alliance of Religions and Conservation projects in partnership with different world faiths. The material covers the period from 1985 to 2015 and is arranged alphabetically by name of faith.

Section D, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Projects, comprises material, covering the period from 1989 to 2015, relating to environmental and conservation projects undertaken by the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Conservation and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation on behalf of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Section E, Publications, Publicity & Press, contains a range of publications and other writings, publicity materials, and press cuttings relating to the work of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, and the work and interests of Martin Palmer. It covers the period from 1980 to 2019.

Section F, Visits & Conferences, contains material dating from 1982 to 2018, relating to visits, conferences, and other events linked to the activities of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation and its predecessor the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture.

Section G, Images, comprises a collection of over 1,500 colour slides depicting a wide variety of objects, events, people, places, and practices associated with faith and religious belief around the world.

Not all the material in this collection may yet be available for consultation. Enquiries should be made in the first instance to:

The Archivist The Library University of Bath Claverton Down Bath BA2 7AY

Email: E.Richmond@bath.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)1225 383464

The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) ceased operations in 2019 at which time the organisation's correspondence, papers, and library were donated by Martin Palmer to the University of Bath. The ARC website was archived with the British Library.

A catalogue of the collection is available in PDF format at the webpage of the University of Bath Archives and Research Collections please click on the following link Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) catalogue.

We are very grateful to Mr Martin Palmer, Secretary General, Alliance of Religions and Conservation, for his assistance in making this material available. We would also like to acknowledge the support of Dr Tim Powell, Sector Development Officer (South West), The National Archives.

The library of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation was also deposited with Archives and Research Collections at the University of Bath. To view a list of this material on the Library catalogue click here. The books are a closed collection and can be consulted in the Archives and Research Collections reading room on request.

NOT ALL THE MATERIAL IN THIS COLLECTION MAY YET BE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTON. ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE FIRST INSTANCE TO:

THE ARCHIVIST LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF BATH CLAVERTON DOWN BATH BA2 7AY

Email: E.Richmond@bath.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)1225 383464

None expected.