The first ever state of nature report for Guernsey and Herm, State of Nature 2024, has been released! Produced by the Nature Commission, State of Nature 2024 has been compiled using the best available data for local wildlife, highlighting trends in the abundance and distribution of habitats and species where possible.

Islands generally are known to be more vulnerable to environmental pressures; 80 species of animals and plants are thought to have become locally extinct in Guernsey in the past 100 years. 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. State of Nature 2024 identifies pressures on our wildlife so that we can better understand what is driving change. It also outlines ways in which everyone can help to slow and ultimately reverse, the decline in our biodiversity. This will help guide the coordination of effective management and conservation strategies, in line with Guernsey’s 2020 Strategy for Nature, to address issues that threaten our native biodiversity, and as such our well-being and economy, and to highlight areas of concern.

The purpose of the State of Nature 2024 is to assist all islanders in better understanding the importance of our natural environment, and the impacts of our activities on local habitats and species. The hope is that it will enable individuals and communities to make more informed choices, inform decision-making, policy and legislation development, and encourage investments which have positive impacts on our local biodiversity.

State of Nature 2024 aims to set a benchmark for the status of our natural environment, which can be used as a comparison in later years. It was compiled using the best available data for local wildlife, and includes a chapter on drivers of change, helping to understand the pressures which impact our habitats and species and cause declines in wildlife. The report also includes a chapter which looks at ways individuals, businesses and the government can help to conserve and enhance our natural environment, for the health of our economy and our well-being. As an island community, we can work together to help address the issues identified in State of Nature 2024 and to make a difference. There are several changes in choices and behaviours outlined in the report that we can adopt, both small and big, which will help reduce the pressure on our natural environment.

The Nature Commission CEO, Jessi Jennings, notes that State of Nature 2024 is a tool which will help communities and government better understand how our natural environment is doing, as well as 

direct new workstreams while also supporting all the amazing projects that have done great work to-date protecting our natural environment. “It is very difficult to effectively manage what we do not measure - State of Nature 2024 is a really important step for Guernsey and Herm in understanding what is and isn’t being measured, the state of what is being measured, and whether existing management is having the biodiversity outcomes we need to see our natural environment thrive. This report is also a key deliverable for the Nature Commission, and after working hard over the last year we are really excited to see it come to fruition.”

It is important to care for nature, as nature provides the ecosystem services needed for human well-being, quality of life, and economic support. We depend on these services for necessities such as food production, climate stabilisation, and cultural and recreational opportunities. Examples of the services provided by nature include the pollination of crops by insects and the protection of our island from extreme weather by healthy coastal habitats. Being connected with nature is also known to boost mental health and improve well-being.

State of Nature 2024 has identified 7 key pressures on our natural environment, which have likely contributed to declines in species and habitats. Although more information is needed about how these pressures affect our habitats and species, it is important that we reduce these pressures as they will cumulatively impact our habitats and species. Conservation measures cannot be effective if there is no change in the pressures causing declines and losses.

The conclusions from State of Nature 2024 identified that a lack of data is a key theme throughout the report. While we generally know the species and habitats present on island, particularly on land, there are gaps in our knowledge. There is no long-term data to help provide a true status of the health of our species and habitats. We need to better understand the trends of species populations and habitat presence and condition in order to inform targeted conservation measures which make the best use of resources and help conserve the natural environment where the most support is needed.

For the habitats and species that we do have trend data for, such as birds, declines have been identified. It is anticipated that species we do not have sufficient or any data for are declining as well. More information is needed. Collecting data through citizen science projects is a great way to help reverse the lack of knowledge and everyone can help to achieve this. Check out Chapter 8 of State of Nature 2024 to find out more about what you can do to help ensure our natural environment is protected and enhanced for the health of our economy and the well-being of our island community, both now and into the future.