Extinction is such a final word
SOME of the dilemmas summarised in the State of Nature report published by the Nature Commission this week can be encapsulated in just two words – ‘scaly crickets’.
The pseudomogoplistes vicentae, its Latin name, has been, if not at the centre, certainly a player in the ongoing wrangles of development at Longue Hougue. The scaly cricket is described as a rare species of international importance and its rare habitat in the island, along with eelgrass beds and slow-growing maerl algae, are all good reasons to argue against an extension of landfilling in the area.
The Nature Commission says that Guernsey’s challenges when it comes to biodiversity are less related to climate change, and more to the pressures of land use and development.
We’ve lost a lot of parkland and grassland in recent years and that has a knock-on effect for local plants and species. There will be a cost involved in reversing this though, and ultimately, the prospect of signing up to international conventions with associated implications which will prove intensive and expensive.
On the other hand, simply encouraging more people to engage more with nature – something else highlighted in the report – would be no bad thing.
The response to this report will inevitably come down to political priorities – but the references to extinction are chilling. The word carries an uncomfortable air of finality about it.