Young faith leaders want a say in how nature is restored

Young faith leaders want a say in how nature is restored

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Tue, 11/10/2026 - 07:11

Young people and faith communities are already restoring nature, from indigenous trees in Kenya to riverbank cleanups in Canada, and they now ask for a share in the decisions. That was the message at a World Council of Churches (WCC) session at the UN biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia, on 26 October, part of the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034).

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Young faith leaders at Biodiversity COP in Yerevan, Armenia.

Photo: WCC

Speakers from Kenya, Uganda, Panama, and Canada described how their communities plant indigenous trees, grow food forests, clean riverbanks, and teach children to care for creation. In the Mount Elgon region of Uganda, Elijah Titus Wamimbi, a youth leader from Uganda Anglican Church, works with young people who plant trees, conserve soil, and teach their communities about the risk of landslides. “ Through mutual learning with youth and collective environmental restoration, we are seeing greater resilience to climate change and biodiversity decline in my community,” said…