What We Do

The Nature Commission carries out a programme of citizen science initiatives, projects and surveys.

Why is citizen science important?

Citizen science is a great way to connect people with nature while also collecting large amounts of useful data. Volunteering helps us give back to our natural environment and is vital in consistently providing large amounts of data over a long time period and in filling the gaps in our knowledge. The citizen science projects the Nature Commission support are often national projects and so by contributing data we are helping to build a picture for the whole of the British Isles. By knowing more about the state of our habitats and species, we can understand which areas need the most support. Additionally, data from these projects will be used in the next and subsequent State of Nature reports produced by the Nature Commission. Important data collection like this would not be possible without volunteers.

How to get involved

Volunteers will be offered training on the various survey methodologies with the Nature Commission, before being encouraged to conduct surveys independently. The Nature Commission will be available to assist with any queries and training regarding the citizen science projects where requested once training has been provided, but we would love for you, or a group you’re in, to take the lead! For example, you could volunteer to surveying your favourite beaches a couple of times a year under the 'Big Seaweed Search' project.

Training sessions for various citizen science projects will take place during the summer. There will also be a few data inputting sessions to show volunteers how to submit the data that has been collected.

If you would like to attend any of the training sessions, please contact office@naturecommission.gg to find out when and where they are taking place.

Find out more!

Click here to find out about the citizen science projects the Nature Commission supports.

Biodiversity Partnership Group

The Biodiversity Partnership Group (BPG) was established in 2017 to act as a partner to the States of Guernsey on the effective delivery of the Strategy for Nature (formerly the Biodiversity Strategy).

Since 2023, the BPG has been coordinated and led by the Nature Commission, and acts as an advisory panel to the Nature Commission and the States of Guernsey Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services (ACLMS) on the delivery and direction of the Strategy for Nature.

The Group is made up of representatives from a number of Non-Government Organisations (NGO) which hold a mandated interest in the conservation of wildlife and habitat, as well as qualified experts in conservation, ecology and land management.

Education

Good quality nature education connects children to nature and helps instil a passion for the natural environment.

The Schools Programme for the 2024/2025 academic year was a great success with presentations reaching thousands of children/students across schools on the following topics:

• State of Nature 2024 report for Guernsey and Herm 
• RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch (January)
• Caring for Nature in Bluebell Wood (March/April)
• Big Butterfly Count (July)
• Great Eggcase Hunt 

The Nature Commission regularly supports teaching and learning and can give advice about the natural environment to teachers, if needed.

The annual BioBlitz, which is organised by the Nature Commission, is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn about nature first-hand with local experts and nature enthusiasts. The BioBlitz took place in May 2025. 

State of Nature reporting

The Nature Commission produced the first State of Nature report for Guernsey and Herm last year, State of Nature 2024. This report was compiled using the best available data for local wildlife. Trends in the abundance and distribution of species and habitats are highlighted where possible, and the key pressures on wildlife are identified.

Repeat publications will occur every 5 years, and will report on changes to the state of nature so that we may identify trends in the populations of our wildlife, galvanize actions to prevent further loss, and encourage protection and enhancement of our natural environment.

State of Nature reports will assist all islanders, including businesses and government, in better understanding the importance of our natural environment, and the impacts of our activities on our habitats and species.

The Nature Commission will use the report to inform our ongoing workstreams, including education with schools, our biological data collection projects, and as a tool for public engagement and presentations. The Nature Commission will promote the findings of the reports with businesses, government departments, and politicians to help ensure that informed decision-making, policy and legislation development, and investments are being made which have positive impacts on our local biodiversity.

Click here for the most recent report.

BioBlitz

The Nature Commission organises an annual BioBlitz with the help of local experts from environmental organisations. The 2025 BioBlitz took take place at L'Ancresse in May.

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which local experts, volunteer scientists and nature enthusiasts work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms as possible. 

Local experts share their BioBlitz findings with primary school children who are invited to the BioBlitz site to discover more about the fantastic nature that can be found in Guernsey. On the school BioBlitz days children will take part in bird watching, searching for 'minibeasts', finding out about bats, looking for important plants and rock pooling. 

As part of the BioBlitz event, the Nature Commission visits primary schools to give presentations about the BioBlitz and why it is an important event for nature. This helps prepare the children and teachers for their visit to the BioBlitz site. 

In 2026, the BioBlitz will explore Lihou headland and intertidal zone. The BioBlitz will be part of the Cultural Enrichment Programme organised by the States of Guernsey Education Department and all Year 4 children will take part in BioBlitz activities in June 2026.

Strategy For Nature Fund

The Strategy for Nature (SfN) Fund was established in recognition that the States of Guernsey 2020 Strategy for Nature is not simply a government document; it is a framework that requires support and action from the whole community to achieve its goals and objectives.

The Fund offers financial support for environmental initiatives which aim to further the goals and objectives of the Strategy for Nature. The scheme is managed by the Nature Commission and the States of Guernsey Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services (ACLMS).

Individuals, organisations and students are invited to apply for financial support from the Strategy for Nature Fund to support environmental initiatives that further the goals and objectives of the Strategy for Nature. A total of £40,000 is donated through the fund in the form of grants, with £12,000 in 2024/25 of that total dedicated specifically to a bursary for students completing graduate or post graduate degrees in a relevant subject with a commitment to carry out data collection for their research project on-island.

The 2024/2025 Fund was successfully distributed between 14 environmental projects and 4 student research projects. 

These projects included:

• Marine mammal monitoring 
• Enhancement of school grounds
• Bat tunnel project
• Removal of invasive non-native plants
• Research on the impact of conservation grazing
• Replacement of Barn Owl boxes

The 2025/2026 Strategy for Nature Fund will open on Monday 1st September with the closing date for applications on Sunday 26th October 2025.

Long-Term Monitoring Programme

As identified in State of Nature 2024, a lack of data is one of the key limitations to protecting and enhancing our natural environment. 

Following the release of State of Nature 2024, the development of a long-term monitoring programme is underway by Nature Commission, with input from other organisations and individuals who hold relevant expertise. The purpose is to implement sustainable data collection across our terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. This will build our evidence-base to ensure that informed decisions about our natural environment can be made. The data collected will predominantly be biological data on our habitats and species, but will also include data to help us better understand the drivers of change affecting our natural environment. 

See State of Nature 2024 for more information about our habitats and species, the pressures affecting them, and the gaps in data.

This project is being carried out in partnership with the States of Guernsey, the Biodiversity Partnership Group, and the Guernsey Biological Records Centre.

The Nature Commission has recently taken over surveying of Guernsey's rare Black-backed Meadow Ants.

About Black-Backed Meadow Ants

The Black-backed Meadow Ant is native to Europe but is declining across its range. It is found in Guernsey and Jersey but is now extinct in mainland Britain. These ants are good indicators for grassland and heathland, showing how healthy the habitat is. These habitats support a wide diversity of insects and plants and attract many birds.

Black-backed Meadow Ants are mainly found on our south-coast cliffs as their nests require high levels of sunshine. Nests can vary in size from 25cm wide to over 1m, and some nests are over 20 years old. They can be home to an average of 60,000 ants, most of which are female workers. Each nest also has 1 queen who lays all the eggs. Threats to the ants include shading of nest sites, increased rainfall, spread of Sour Fig and destruction of nests through strimming.

How is the surveying conducted?

As part of the Action Plan for this species, annual surveying is undertaken. Individual nests are visited and marked with red flags, if close to the cliff path. This helps monitor population numbers and protect the nests from the cliff path cuts that take place every year, by marking them for the cutting team. Vegetation is also cut back from the nests by hand, to ensure they have optimum sunshine and remain warm and dry.

If you see an ant nest marked by red flags, please leave them in place.

Guernsey Biological Records Centre (GBRC)

The GBRC is the centralised storage location for biological records pertaining to Guernsey and Herm (and associated territorial water). It provides a fundamental resource for informed decision-making as well as a source of educational and scientific data. The mission of the GBRC is to collate, manage, and share information about all aspects of Guernsey and Herm’s wildlife, ecology, and natural environment. The aim is to manage and share the evidence-base to sustain and enhance the biodiversity of our island to enrich the lives of local communities and future generations.

The GBRC was established in 2003 as a partnership between the States of Guernsey and La Société Guernesiaise and as of 2025 is managed and operated by the Nature Commission on behalf of the States of Guernsey.

Working with Corporates

Businesses have a considerable role to play in protecting and enhancing our natural environment. Increasing employee knowledge and employment opportunities relating to the natural environment on-island, and making internships, work placements, and graduate schemes available, as well as upskilling eager volunteers, will enhance our overall resource, expertise and knowledge, leading to more effective biodiversity outcomes. Additionally, businesses can support local environmental initiatives, as well as assess the impacts of their activities on the natural environment and take positive steps to avoid, mitigate or offset those impacts.

The Nature Commission partners with local businesses to help them meet their sustainability/ environmental targets. We do this by promoting and providing opportunities for corporations to:

• upskill their staff
• volunteer for nature, and
• give financial support for projects that protect and enhance our natural environment.

Email office@naturecommission.gg to get in touch about your business, or visit Nature Opportunities for Businesses to find out more.

Nature Matters articles

The Nature Commission leads the Nature Matters communications in the Guernsey Press, where monthly content on biodiversity in Guernsey and the wider Bailiwick is published. This is coordinated across Biodiversity Partnership Group organisations and other natural environment charities and agencies. The purpose is to communicate the importance of our natural environment and the amazing things being achieved by the third sector with the general public, and to raise awareness of the issues of biodiversity decline.

Keep an eye out for the next article in the Guernsey Press!

Public Engagement

Raising awareness about nature with the public is an important part of the Nature Commission's work. If people understand nature, they are more likely to want to care for it and protect it. 

The Nature Commission promotes public engagement and information sharing through the majority of our areas of work. An example of this was our State of Nature 2024 talk series, run throughout October 2024 (available here).

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to find out when our next public events are.

Virtual Reality (VR)

The Nature Commission, in partnership with other local environmental charities, would like to purchase VR headsets as a community engagement and education tool. 

This would provide a way for the public to experience various habitats as if they were there themselves. Through this opportunity, we can increase awareness and connectedness to the Bailiwick's natural environment, whether that be with kelp forests, reefs or eelgrass. This is anticipated to be an invaluable tool in helping the community appreciate the beauty of the natural environment that they may not be able to see themselves, for aiding education in identifying species and habitats, and for understanding the threats that they face.

This concept has been implemented in New Zealand, find out more here: BLAKE NZ-VR - Blake NZ

Summer Internship

Each year, the Nature Commission offers a paid internship to a university student or recent graduate to help them build their skills in ecology and the environment sector. The intern programme runs for approx. 9 weeks over the summer, with the intention of increasing the individual’s employability in this sector through relevant work experience and application of practical and soft skills.

2024 was the first year we have provided this programme, and we look forward to offering it again in 2025. If you are interested in applying, applications typically open in May each year: keep an eye on our vacancies page.

Upcoming Projects

The Nature Commission has a few other big projects anticipated to commence in the first quarter of 2025. We are very excited to share further information soon, so watch this space!