Two men emerged and picked up the dead bird, probably destined to make a bedraggled trophy on a shelf somewhere. For many migrating birds of prey in southern Europe and the Middle East, that destination is almost as probable as the remaining woodlands of northern Africa. Estimates vary of the number of all kinds of birds who fall prey to hunters and trappers around the Mediterranean each spring and autumn, but it is probably over 20 million.
On this particular morning, at least, the eagle's demise did not go unlamented; there was an opportunity for A Rocha team members to explain to its hunters a little more of how the bird might have lived if allowed to continue on its way, and to ask them to consider whether they were happy with the idea that their grandchildren might never see the bird in the wild. That was a new idea, it seemed.
Stewardship
So what is A Rocha, and why hear about eagles and extinction in a Christian magazine? And what is a project with a Portuguese name doing in Lebanon? The A Rocha Trust was established 14 years ago to set up a field study centre and bird observatory in southern Portugal. The project aimed to express in practical ways our biblical convictions about environmental stewardship, and to find common ground with conservationists so that we could explain the relevance of the gospel. Since then, the centre has been visited by hundreds of students and others, from all over Europe and beyond, who have been part of its various activities. For many of them, it is the first time they have met committed Christians, and the shared interest in environmental studies gives a powerful context for explaining the gospel .
