There is something quietly subversive about a churchyard. In the middle of a town or village, often surrounded by roads and buildings, these ancient spaces have been quietly doing something remarkable: providing habitat for wildlife that has disappeared almost everywhere else.

A Rocha UK's Churches Count on Nature initiative turns this accidental conservation into intentional celebration. From 6 to 14 June 2026, churches across the country are invited to open their churchyards, gather their congregations and communities, and spend time recording the plant and animal species they find. Bees, butterflies, lichens, wildflowers, birds — the diversity that has survived in these spaces is often astonishing.

Last year, more than 6,000 people took part in over 380 events. This year, A Rocha UK is hoping to go further — and registrations are now open.

The theological case for this kind of work is straightforward. If we believe that creation is God's and that we are called to be its stewards, then paying attention to what is living in our churchyard is an act of worship as much as it is an act of conservation. It is a way of saying: this matters. These creatures matter. This patch of ground, with its ancient yew tree and its colony of bats, is holy ground.

To register your church for Churches Count on Nature 2026, visit arocha.org.uk.