AKU: An African Journal of Contemporary Research

Africa and its diaspora communities face serious environmental challenges, including the loss of plant and animal species, climate change, and the destruction of natural habitats. This paper argues that two frameworks, biblical stewardship theology and Africa's own indigenous ecological knowledge, can together address these problems more effectively than either can alone. Drawing on Psalm 24:1, which declares that the earth belongs to God, and Genesis 2:15, which instructs humans to cultivate and keep the garden, this study explores how African diaspora communities can use these scriptures to motivate environmental responsibility. The paper also examines how African ancestral practices, including sacred groves, seasonal farming customs, and communal land management, have long protected biodiversity in ways that modern conservation science is only beginning to appreciate. Through the fusion of these frameworks, the paper shows that biblical theology and indigenous ecological wisdom are not opposites but partners in the pursuit of environmental justice. The study proposes a Covenantal Stewardship and Communal Ecology framework that integrates biblical theology, indigenous knowledge, and conservation science, and concludes that African diaspora communities occupy a unique position to bridge faith, culture, and conservation advocacy, offering lessons relevant both for Africa and for global efforts to protect the natural world.

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