Peter Harris, her husband, was also seriously injured. In the crash, there were two other fatalities, Chris Naylor, CEO of A Rocha International, and his wife Susana.


Those responsible for A Rocha Portugal reveal in a post on their Facebook page that “Peter and the driver of the car are being treated at a local hospital and are stable. We look forward to more news about your progress.”


The couple, Miranda and Peter Harris, with their four children, who attended the local public school, lived for about a decade in Cruzinha, Ria de Alvor, the centre for environmental studies inspired by the principles of the Christian faith and the need to take care of “all God’s creatures.”


Here the couple received researchers from various nationalities, especially from British and Portuguese universities, who studied in depth the fauna, flora and geology of that important Algarve wetland, as well as other areas of great ecological importance in the Algarve and the country.


In 1995, with the Portuguese project established and under Portuguese management, the international foundation A Rocha, responding to requests from various parts of the world, decided to expand its concept.


Peter and Miranda Harris were then tasked with the mission of establishing and running a Cross-like study centre, notably in France, Kenya, Lebanon, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The story of Cruzinha and of A Rocha was told by Peter in two books written in English: Under the Bright Wings (Regent College Publishing, 2000), and Kingfisher’s Fire (Monarch, 2008).


“This is a profound shock to the entire A Rocha family and others who have come to know them around the world. A Rocha in Portugal owes an eternal debt to the Harris couple, as they were the co-founders of A Rocha’s work when it began, precisely in Portugal.”