‘Nature report gives a stronger base for us to make decisions’
ADOPTING the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is becoming more important for the island, Environment & Infrastructure president Lindsay de Sausmarez said yesterday as the Nature Commission's State of Nature report was published.
This is the commission's first report, providing a range of information about the state of Guernsey and Herm’s wildlife and habitats.
It also sets out recommendations for what people can do to help.
But it is made clear that work needed to be done by the States, too, including extending the Convention on Biological Diversity to the island.
The issue was first raised in 2015, but Deputy de Sausmarez said that it was even more important today in connection with the island negotiating free trade agreements.
‘There is invariably an environmental chapter in those free trade agreements, and being a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity is quite often an important aspect of those,’ she said.
‘So it has more than just environmental benefits, it actually helps support our economy as well.’
One of the convention’s goals is to have 30% of land and 30% of water protected by 2030, which is a global target, and if Guernsey does decide to adopt the convention, its contribution would be viewed as part of the UK’s offshore islands.
Deputy de Sausmarez welcomed the launch of the new report as an important first step.
‘It’s really important that we have a good baseline understanding of the state of our nature. That will help us focus our efforts and make sure that we are putting resources into the areas that most need it.'
The report was a testament to the fact that some things were better run and managed by an organisation like the Nature Commission, rather than by government directly, she said.
A lot of the information was already available, such as the amount of unimproved grassland – that has never been artificially fertilised, ploughed or reseeded – now being zero.
‘The value of this report is it brings it all together in a way that makes it much more accessible, much more comparable, and gives us a much broader and stronger base on which to make decisions,’ said Deputy de Sausmarez.
On a practical level she said that E&I had provided support to community groups by way of grants under the Strategy for Nature Fund.
On a policy level it has brought in a water quality ordinance to address fresh and marine water pollution and a pesticide reduction plan, which had seen a lot of cross-committee work.
Then there is a marine spatial plan, which will focus on avoiding conflicts in the island’s marine environment, she said, in places where, for instance, it might be impacted by recreation like leisure boats.
It was also exploring bringing in the concept of biodiversity net gain as a potential planning policy, which Deputy de Sausmarez said could reduce the impact of development in the island.
