Conservation and Community Engagement: Integrating Faith-based Approaches into Sustainability Goals

Abstract

On 25th September 2015, the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 development agenda titled Transforming the World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It Includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and justice and to tackle the climate change by 2030. Now, it is less than five years and a long way to go. To achieve the goals, apart from the support by governments, legal adjustments, leadership, funding etc., faith-based approaches by local communities also play a pivotal role in achieving the goals. India is a country with varied agro-climatic conditions, diverse culture, thousands of languages and dialects, all major religions or faiths of the world, have always respected the nature for its sustenance and development. As only two things viz., fear and faith work in this world. Hence, it is of prime importance to understand how faith-based approaches and community engagement can help in achieving sustainable goals specially where marine ecosystem conservation is concerned. The present paper deals with various religious faiths in India, available in literature, in achieving the SDGs.