ITV’s Louisa Britton reports on Guernsey’s strategy for nature fund

Guernsey has stunning scenery and a huge array of wildlife. But its rich natural habitats need protecting and nurturing. Now, a total of £40,000 of States funding is up for grabs for local projects that want to achieve just that.

Julia Henney: ‘We’re so fortunate. We have a really unique and rich natural history around us. We have species that can’t be found anywhere else. Beautiful landscapes. It’s a wonderful to be able to undertake these projects, but wildlife really does need our support because there are a lot of pressures and threats affecting it. We’re aware of the pressures on our environment and we’re also aware that we need to help. A lot of people really want to help, but sometimes it’s just about showing people how they can intervene and make that change.’

The Pollinator Project, which created a pollinator patch at Candie Gardens, is one of the local organisations that previously received the funding and since then they’ve gone from strength to strength, helping Islanders celebrate Guernsey’s rich flora and fauna.

Gordon Steele: [There’s a] huge amount to be done. … We talk a lot but we have got to take action. The Strategy for Nature really needs funding to support it, not just from government. It’s not something that government just delivers. It’s something we all need to participate in. And the theme of connecting with nature, caring for nature, engaging people with nature is absolutely vital’.

And the work undertaken to support Guernsey’s bees and butterflies is benefiting the island and its residents more widely.

‘Three quarters of all the food that we eat needs pollination and our pollinators are dying out around the world. Guernsey is no exception to that. We’re losing the insects that we rely on. Without them, we won’t have strawberries, raspberries, coffee, chocolate, plums, apples, pears, all the things that we really enjoy.’

Those behind Guernsey’s nature strategy say the timing is apt as the damaging effects of global warming are at the forefront of people’s minds.

Julia Henney: ‘All the research says that we are going to be faced with quite some quite severe impacts of climate change and that won’t just affect us. It will also affect our natural environment and we need a resilient environment to be able to handle that. But also our environment can be one of the tools in our arsenal to try and reduce the impacts of climate change through things like nature based solutions applications.

Applications (for the fund) are now open with the hope that new projects could help boost biodiversity and restore resilience.

To view the report, click here

Nick Baker is coming to Guernsey

On Tuesday 14th September Nick Baker, one of the country’s top TV naturalists is coming to Guernsey.

We are truly honoured to have Nick visit Guernsey as he is an engaging presenter and thoroughly knowledgeable about wildlife.

Join Nick in this uplifting show at St James, when he’ll be sharing his vision for finding new ways of living with nature or learning to be a little less ‘tidy’. You’ll love this personal and intimate evening. Nick is an engaging speaker and his passion shines through. He explores how we can change the way we view and value nature and in turn learn to live with nature, lighten our touch and integrate new values into our lives. He’ll cover the benefits nature can bring to individuals, society and biodiversity as well as give practical tips.
The thrilling talk will show which wildlife benefits from the Tangled Hedge approach, all delivered with warmth and honesty.

The Pollinator Project is delighted to bring Nick Baker to Guernsey. Suitable for all ages.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW

Bumblebees Force Plants to Flower Early by Damaging Their Leaves

When bumblebees emerge from hibernation in early spring they rely on the food provided by newly blooming flowers. However, bees sometimes emerge early and find that plants are still flowerless.

Fortunately, hungry bumblebees have a strategy for when this happens.

Consuelo De Moraes at ETH Zurich and colleagues discovered that worker bumblebees can coax plants in to flowering and making pollen earlier than normal by using their mouthparts to damage the leaves of flowerless plants.

In a series of outdoor and laboratory experiments, Buff-tailed Bumblebees Bombus terrestris were more likely to bite holes in the leaves of tomato plants and black mustard plants when faced with a shortage of food. The intensity of leaf damage varied with local flower availability. Furthermore, workers of two additional Bumblebee species were also observed to damage plant leaves in the wild. The leaf damage caused the Black Mustard plants to flower 16 days earlier than usual and the Tomato plants to flower 30 days earlier.

When De Moraes and her colleagues damaged leaves themselves, they were unable to fully replicate the early flowering results. While it remains something of a mystery as to how biting holes in leaves promotes early blooming, other studies have found that plants sometimes speed up their flowering in response to stress. The results from this study suggest that Bumblebees provide additional cues to encourage early-flowering, such as injecting saliva containing chemicals into the leaves as they cause damage. “We hope to explore this in future work,” De Moraes says.

“Climate change is making spring conditions less predictable, which could disrupt the timing of the relationship between bees and flowers,” says Mark Mescher, who was also part of the study. The ability of Bumblebees to manipulate flowering times may help them to adapt to climate change, he says.

 

Reference:

Pashalidou, F. G., Lambert, H., Peybernes, T., Mescher, M. C., De Moraes, C. M. (2020). Bumble Bees Damage Plant Leaves and Accelerate Flower Production When Pollen is Scarce. Science, 368: pp. 881-884.

Pesticides – Guernsey Water campaigns against glyphosate

spraying dandelion

Guernsey Water has made a strong stance against weed killers, specifically glyphosate in their ‘Don’t Spray’ campaign launch this Easter.

They have asked for people to “limit the use of herbicides and pesticides in gardens and to deploy them responsibly to reduce the hazardous chemicals entering the local environment”.

The utility is advising that pesticides and herbicides should be deployed with caution, in accordance with professional guidance, and not be applied to vulnerable areas of local habitat such as douits, stream banks, ponds, wet meadows, marshy areas, drainage ditches, culverts or paved areas.

We’re delighted that they are also encouraging the use of ‘green’ weeding methods such as hand removal of weeds, vinegar sprays or utilising mulch or wood chips as a weed barrier.

Margaret McGuinness, Water Quality Risk Manager at Guernsey Water, said: “With people spending increased amounts of time in their gardens as the weather improves, it is a good time to offer advice on how to protect the local environment whilst enjoying time outdoors.

“If Islanders plan to apply either herbicides or pesticides, they should follow the professional guidelines provided and limit their usage. We would, however, encourage natural alternatives where possible for the benefit of our environment and water resources.”

Full article: http://www.water.gg/article/182923/Guernsey-Water-urges-Islanders-to-think-before-you-spray

Reversing the Decline of Insects

The Wildlife Trusts have published a new report ‘Reversing the Decline of Insects’.

The report provides examples of how farmers, communities, councils and charities are taking action to support wild insect populations, proving that everyone can be an insect champion.

The latest publication follows the ‘Insect Declines and Why They Matter’ report, released in 2019, which concluded:

“the consequences are clear; if insect declines are not halted, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems will collapse, with profound consequences for human wellbeing.”

The report calls for the adoption of ambitious new targets to reduce pesticide use and encourage insect-friendly farming practices.

However, responsibility for restoring the UK’s insect populations lies with everyone, and the report provides examples of things we can all do to boost local insect populations.

Nick Baker Becomes our Ambassador in Guernsey

The Pollinator Project has teamed up with international broadcaster, filmmaker and naturalist, Nick Baker, to make a short film showing how everyone in Guernsey can get close to nature.

Nick says ‘I was meant to be coming to Guernsey this month to take part in a BioBlitz and give a talk at St James. But lockdown put a stop to that, so just like nature does, we adapted and made a short film showing islanders just how easy it is to find the wildlife on our doorsteps. Just go into your garden, onto the beach, or visit one of the islands’ nature reserves and you’ll be amazed at what you can find.

“I’ve been so impressed with the work of the Pollinator Project that I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be acting as their ambassador, supporting their efforts to protect habitats, educate children and encourage everyone to put 10% of their gardens aside for nature in the Guernsey.”