Strategy for Nature’s first year is deemed successful

THE first year of the Strategy for Nature Fund has been a great success, Environment & Infrastructure president Lindsay de Sausmarez has said.

Guernsey Conservation Volunteers clearing sour fig around Fort Le Marchant, just one of many projects and groups that have been helped by the Strategy for Nature Fund. Left to right, Yvette Adams, Cameron Perkins, Candace Green and Nigel Riddle emptying soul fig into a skip paid for from the fund. (Picture by Luke Le Prevost, 31237029)

Some £31,000 was split between local charities, education facilities and the general public for projects based in Guernsey or Herm which meet at least one of the objectives of the strategy. Each charity could receive up to £5,000.

The Botany Section of La Societe was one of the projects to receive the grant.

‘We keep an eye on our rare plants by visiting sites annually to ensure that they are surviving and are not under threat,’ said section secretary Helen Litchfield.

She said many factors are beyond control and habitats can change for a variety of reasons. ‘We are all aware of the smothering nature of sour fig and our cliffs are also becoming increasingly covered in the coarser plants such as gorse and bracken. These crowd out the more delicate species such as dwarf pansy.

‘Our hedge banks, home to rare ferns that grow only in Guernsey, are frequently shorn back to bare soil, leading to the loss of these species. Through Grow Guernsey Natives, we have seed stock of some of our rarest plants and that they are being distributed around the island, increasing the seed bank with the help of the public, is a huge relief. We have lost so many species in the last 50 years and halting that decline is extremely important,’ she said.

The fund was launched by Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services to support local environmental initiatives, recognising that the SFN is not just a government document but a framework that requires support from the whole community.

Three bursary students completing graduate or post-graduate degrees also received £3,000 to support their research.

Biodiversity officer Julia Henney said it has been amazing to see the results of the community projects and what has been achieved in a short period of time.

Deputy de Sausmarez said the fund’s first year had gone well.

‘It’s projects like these which really highlight Guernsey’s love of nature,’ she said.

‘Each project has been an exciting contribution to our understanding of our environment and how we can protect, conserve and enhance it.’