Bailiwick environment experts join annual meeting in Jersey

Groups from Sark, the UK, the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man and France took part, whether by physical attendance or joining online.

Hosted by the Societe Jersiaise at the Jersey Museum in St Helier, speakers discussed how to prevent environmental guidance being ignored by governments and stakeholders, and what can be done to protect and enhance the natural environment.

La Societe Guernesiaise president Trevor Bourgaize said that it was a good opportunity to swap recording techniques and environment initiatives which have worked well.

‘There is a focus this year on government and organisations, who may not realise that the environment has a play on tourism and may not see the value in it,’ he said.

Alderney Wildlife Trust CEO Roland Gauvain, who attended in Jersey, said that the meeting allowed for networking and knowledge sharing.

‘The topic of the meeting was science to action, understanding what other jurisdictions were doing and how their environmental policies are put into action,’ he said.

‘Talks ranged throughout this area from high-level strategy to field research, citizen science, practical conservation, stakeholder engagement, outreach and education.

‘The meetings allow for networking that enables the work being done in individual islands to have a greater impact across the network of British islands and neighbouring jurisdictions.

‘They also help with knowledge sharing and the opportunity to speak in person which can often lead to future collaborations.’

He said that the 2022 inter-island environment meeting led to the formation of the joint Channel Islands’ biodiversity centre project, which has seen a common platform for data collection and distribution of biodiversity records being shared.

‘After 24 years the IIEM has grown and evolved to offer an invaluable opportunity for learning and collaboration, especially for the smaller islands,’ said Mr Gauvain.

Pollinator Project chair Gordon Steele was also at the event. He said that there was little that happened locally that was not affected by global changes, whether nature loss or climate change.

He said that one of the highlights for him over the two days had been learning of a scheme to recycle ghost fishing gear in Jersey. Its States supports locations for it to be dropped off and transported to the prison where it is processed.

'It’s better that than tangling seabirds, seals and dolphins up in lost or abandoned gear,’ he said.

‘There was an update on a pan-island project to check for the spread of disease carrying mosquitoes reassured us that currently there are no signs of them arriving in Guernsey, although they are spreading northwards through France as a result of climate change.’

Mr Steele said that it would be difficult to persuade governments to make changes if hardcore data and science-led projects were not under way.

‘We leave the meeting feeling daunted by the amount of work to be done, reassured that we are working with others, full of energy and hope for the future, and looking forward to next year’s meeting in the Isle of Man,’ he said.