For Pagans, nature is not just beautiful or useful – it is sacred. We don’t see ourselves as separate from the natural world, but as part of an interconnected web of life, where every tree, stream, bird, and beetle is not only vital to the whole, but also imbued with spirit. This worldview shapes not only how we relate to the land, but also how and why we protect it.

Many modern Pagan paths, whether Druidic, Wiccan, Heathen, or eclectic, draw their inspiration from pre-Christian traditions that honoured the cycles of nature. Our festivals often mark the turning points of the seasons – the solstices and equinoxes, the times of planting and harvest. These are not just dates in a calendar but moments of deep connection with the living world. At Beltane, we celebrate fertility and the bursting forth of life. At Samhain, we honour decay, death, and the turning inward of winter. In all of this, there is an understanding that life and death are part of the same great cycle – and that the earth sustains and receives us all.

 Because of this deep spiritual connection, conservation becomes more than a duty or a good cause. It becomes an act of devotion.

To protect a wetland is to honour the spirits of water and reed. To rewild a field is to invite the return of ancestral relationships between humans and the wild. To plant trees is not only a gift to future generations but an offering to the land spirits we walk among today. Our rituals might include prayers, songs, or silent presence in natural places, but they’re often also accompanied by very practical work. We give our time to clear litter from a river, join a tree-planting group, create pollinator-friendly spaces in our gardens or communities and think about possible consequences of our actions on the environment that sustains us. 

Many of us feel the pain of ecological destruction deeply. The loss of species, the degradation of habitats, the warming of the climate – these are not abstract issues. They are wounds in the body of the earth, and many Pagans feel them as grief in our own hearts. In response, we bring what we can: ritual, action, education, art, and presence. We might stand with grassroots campaigns to protect woodlands from development or support organisations like The Wildlife Trust in their tireless work for wild spaces and species. Paganisms also encourage a slow, attentive way of being in the world.

Conservation doesn’t always mean dramatic interventions. Sometimes it means listening to the land, learning its rhythms, and simply being with it. Spending time outside in all weathers, getting to know the plants and animals who share our space, tending the soil, celebrating what is still thriving – these quiet acts of presence help rebuild our relationship with nature, and that relationship is at the heart of long-term care. At a time when many feel disconnected from the natural world, Paganisms offer a reminder: we are not above or outside nature – we are part of it. When we protect and nurture the wild, we are also tending something deep within ourselves. Conservation is not just something we do; it’s a way of being, rooted in reverence, reciprocity, and relationship. 

May we all, whatever our path, continue to honour the wild and walk gently upon the earth.

This blog is apart of a series that explores various religious festivals and awareness days, showcasing diverse spiritual perspectives on our relationship with the natural world.