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Help the Nature Commission by getting involved
Keeping up-to-date by becoming a friend or partner, or being more hands-on by taking part in citizen science projects are great ways to support the work of the Nature Commission
Keep an eye out here for upcoming events with the Nature Commission!
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The Nature Commission is working with Grow Guernsey as part of their 'Grow Green Miles' fundraising initiative . We have created 11 nature 1-mile routes and for some selected routes we will be hosting guided walks.
Here are the guided walks:
- Saturday 2nd May,1pm at Jerbourg. Meet at Doyle Monument car park, W3W: rockets.guarding.depend
- Wednesday 6th May,1:30pm at Port Soif. Meet at the car park on the left-hand side of Port Soif Bay, W3W: stressed.quintet.bonkers
- Thursday 7th May, 8:15pm at Reservoir. Guided bat walk with La Société Guernesiaise Bat Section. Meet at the car park on Rue a L'Or, W3W crash.overshot.buzz
- Monday 11th May, 2pm at L'Eree and the Orchid Fields. Meet at L'Eree car park with the ice cream van, W3W: vector.powered.handier
- Wednesday 20th May, 1:30pm at Les Tielles. Meet at Les Tielles car park, W3W: remixes.postnatal.floppy
- Thursday 28th May, 2pm at Bordeaux Nature Reserve. Meet at Les Petils car park, W3W hounded.politics.hobbies
You can check out the guided walk events on our Facebook page and register your interest in attending https://www.facebook.com/GsyNatureCommission/events
For more information on the nature mile routes, including maps and spotter sheets please see Grow Green Miles
Volunteer with the Nature Commission
Join our team of dedicated volunteers today! Whether you have a few hours a week/ month or can contribute on a one-time basis, we have opportunities for everyone.
When you volunteer with us, you help:
- Care for Nature and reduce pressures on our natural environment
- Connect Others with Nature, improving their, and your, health and well-being
- Improve knowledge about Nature by building the evidence-base for informed decision-making
- Inspire the Community through educating and engaging others to care for our island's environment
Your involvement can be tailored to your interests, whether that is being out and about gathering biological data through citizen science; helping to progress conservation and educational projects; communicating with the public; or a little bit of everything!
To find out how you can volunteer with the Nature Commission, email office@naturecommission.gg.
The Nature Commission's purpose is to enhance the Island's natural environment within a generation, and we need your support. By joining us as a sponsor, you will play a pivotal role in establishing and communicating a benchmark for biodiversity that will guide conservation efforts for years to come.
In simple terms: if we don't measure it, we can't manage it
The benefits go beyond brand exposure. It's a tangible way to show your stakeholders and customers that your business is not just about profit but about making a positive impact on our planet.
Your sponsorship will directly support progress on the above UN Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, your support will indirectly enable progress on these UN Sustainable Development Goals:
There are also links between a healthy natural environment and the other SDGs, including quality education and clean water and sanitation.
Contact us to help set and communicate the standard for biodiversity and let's create a legacy of environmental stewardship together.
Check out our work programme, or get in touch for further information, including what we can offer you in return for your support.
There are many environmental organisations in Guernsey:
The National Trust of Guernsey
Guernsey Conservation Volunteers
Guernsey Biological Records Centre
Information on how to enhance your garden and other areas for wildlife are available below. But it is recommended that you understand what you have in your garden before making any changes - your garden may be perfect for wildlife just as it is!
- Guidance on creating wildlife friendly gardens and guidance on biodiversity in the built environment
- Wildflower meadows flow chart
- Guidance on creating wildflower meadows
- Guidance on building a garden freshwater pond for wildlife
- Principles for responsible outdoor lighting
- Guidance on bats and artificial lighting at night
For any development you may be planning, it is recommended that a Preliminary Ecological Assessment is conducted as a first step in the process. This assessment provides valuable insights into the ecological characteristics of a site and will help developers make informed, evidence-based decisions. The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) provides a Registered Practice Directory, available here. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of available consultants, as there may be organisations in your area not registered with CIEEM who can provide this service.
Citizen Science Projects
Citizen science is for everyone! The Nature Commission encourages our island community to connect with nature by taking part in national surveys that support important research in the British Isles. If you would like to take part in any of the below citizen science projects with the Nature Commission, please email office@naturecommission.gg to find out how, or check out the Species Spotter Sheets below to start recording!
Damselflies and dragonflies are predatory flying insects, found in freshwater habitats. They are an important part of the food web, controlling pest species and providing food for lots of birds.
Damsels and Dragons is a citizen science project which aims to help learn more about our damselfly and dragonfly species. It involves visiting a pond either once or monthly through the peak season of May- September, spotting and recording the damselflies and dragonflies seen.
A guide to the project method can be found here Damsels And Dragons Project Information Sheet along with project survey forms Damsels And Dragons Recording Forms. There is also a species spotter sheet to help with identification Damsels And Dragons Spotter Sheet.
Please email us with your findings office@naturecommission.gg.If you'd like some advice on how to improve your pond to attract damselflies and dragonflies, check out our advice sheet Improving Your Pond For Damselflies And Dragonflies.
Garden Paws is a fun, family-friendly citizen science project designed to help you discover the small mammals living in your garden or local green space. Using easy-to-make footprint tunnels, you can track nocturnal visitors like hedgehogs, voles, mice, and more without disturbing them.
Here is a guide to building your footprint tunnel Garden Paws Tunnel Guide and an identification sheet to identify your footprints Garden Paws Footprint Identification Guide
There is a lack of records for small mammals locally. Please email us with your findings (office@naturecommission.gg) including information on the date the tunnel was placed, the tunnel locations and photos of your footprints.
Start spotting those pawprints today!
Freshwater invertebrates are under recorded locally and not much is known about them. Pond dipping is a great way to understand more about our freshwater invertebrates and the value of ponds and other waterbodies for wildlife.
Many freshwater invertebrate species are hard to identify down to species level without in-depth identification guides. The species in this accompanying instruction and species spotter sheet have been included to family level and should be easier to recognise than the individual species.
Freshwater Critter Count Instructions & Species Spotter Sheet
More information on pond dipping is available here.
Please submit the records of the freshwater critter you find to iRecord. If you aren't able to set up an iRecord account, please email your findings to the Nature Commission (office@naturecommission.gg)
The Big Seaweed Search - This project is a partnership between The Natural History Museum and the Marine Conservation Society. The Big Seaweed Search first launched in 2009. Hundreds of people have taken part and the data gathered, alongside other research, show that the distribution of seaweeds around the UK is changing.
The Nature Commission is looking for volunteers to record seaweeds on Guernsey’s coastline to support research on three key environmental issues:
- rising sea temperature
- the arrival and spread of non-native species of seaweeds
- ocean acidification (the sea becoming more acidic because of absorbing carbon dioxide from the air)
The Great Eggcase Hunt - This project helps The Shark Trust learn more about sharks, skates and rays by finding and recording eggcases. The Great Eggcase Hunt began in 2003 following a chance find on a beach in Devon. The project quickly developed with the aim of getting as many people as possible out hunting for eggcases and recording their finds. Empty eggcases can help indicate species presence and diversity.
The Nature Commission is looking for volunteers to help us record eggcases. By being involved in this project, you will be helping to discover more about egglaying species in our waters.
UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme
UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme - The United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) is one of the longest running insect monitoring schemes in the world. The scheme began in 1976 and now records data on over 2,000 sites per year. The mission of UKBMS is to assess the status and trends of UK butterfly populations for conservation, research and quality of life.
The Nature Commission is looking for volunteers to help us monitor butterfly transects across Guernsey on a weekly basis between April and September. The data collected will form part of this national project.
Bumblebee Conservation Trust - BeeWalk
BeeWalk is a national recording scheme run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to monitor the abundance of bumblebees on transects across the country, including Guernsey.
The Nature Commission is looking for volunteers to help us monitor bumblebee transects across Guernsey on a monthly basis between March and October. The data collected will form part of this national project.
Garden BirdWatch is a year-round scheme which has been run by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) since 1995.
Gardens are really important habitats for wildlife, and we need to understand how and why populations of garden birds and other wildlife are changing, and how we can help them. The more we understand about how birds and other animals use our gardens, the more we can improve our island for wildlife.
The Nature Commission is looking for volunteers to help us monitor garden birds each week throughout the year. The data collected will form part of this national project.
Plant Alert is a citizen science project for gardeners. The Nature Commission will raise awareness of this project with local gardeners and gardening groups to encourage them to look out for plants which might go on to endanger habitats outside gardens. Gardeners can help protect the natural environment by warning about invasive plants before they become a problem.
Carry out a flower-insect timed (FIT) count as part of Pollinator Monitoring & Research Partnership.
For more details and how to get started, visit FIT Counts: help us monitor pollinators | PoMS
Also available is a Natural England Guide that covered the different types of pollinator monitoring, which has a boarder approach to pollinator monitoring: Pollinator Monitoring and Citizen Science: A practical guide for project organisers and participants. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK.
Species Spotter Sheets
The Nature Commission have created a variety of 'spotter sheets' to encourage more recording of species that are often overlooked and under recorded.
If you are able to identify species out in the field then please submit the record to iRecord, a free biological recording app. For simple instructions on how to use iRecord, check out this instruction sheet: How To Use iRecord. For more in-depth instructions, see this iRecord User Guide.
There are lots of apps available which use artificial intelligence to help identify species. We recommend using ObsIdentify and simple instructions on how to use ObsIdentify can be found here How To Use ObsIdentify. Please note these types of app are a tool to aid identification and provide a starting point for further research - they are not always accurate.
The Nature Commission also support and promote citizen science projects let by other organisations