‘Island must pull together to reverse biodiversity decline’
GUERNSEY will lose species and see a decline in its biodiversity unless the whole island works together to reverse the deterioration of the natural environment.
And one in 20 of species found in the island are also globally threatened with extinction.
The stark message comes in the first State of Nature report for Guernsey and Herm, published today by the Nature Commission.
CEO Jessi Jennings said everyone had a moral duty to making sure that they were protecting the islands’ wildlife and habitats.
‘If we are using resources and it’s having an impact, we need to make sure that we are managing and mitigating that impact or avoiding it altogether,’ she said.
‘This is the first time we’ve identified “what we know” and “what we don’t know”. It’s the first time we’ve got clear direction as to what to do next.
‘The choices that people make on the back of this report will decide which road we go down.’
Turtle doves, the bath white butterfly, golden-ringed dragonfly, and early marsh orchid are just four of the species thought to be no longer found in the island.
A further 5.6% of Guernsey’s surviving species have been assessed as globally threatened with extinction.
The report lists seven drivers of change, including climate change, pollution and over-development.
While Ms Jennings thought globally the greatest pressure on biodiversity came from climate change, in Guernsey the situation was different.
‘Here I would say it’s land use change and development, but also possibly gaps in knowledge and understanding, because if those gaps didn’t exist, then we wouldn’t have so many concerns over development.’
The report found that over the last 25 years the island has lost more than a sixth of its coastal grassland, and seen a 155% increase in species-poor parkland.
Unimproved grassland – that has never been artificially fertilised, ploughed or reseeded – has become locally extinct, with impacts on local plants and species higher up the food chain.
‘Without thoughtful change and management, and science that records data to inform appropriate and effective measures, it is likely that our biodiversity will continue to decline,’ she said.
‘It would require political will and public desire, but we could absolutely become an example for how to do things well, both in the Channel Islands and the wider world beyond.’
