Wildlife groups welcome new conservation moves

Wildlife groups welcome new conservation moves

The States are currently seeking feedback from the public and conservation groups about the draft Wildlife Law.

A consultation paper is available on the gov.je website and officials will be conducting a number of forums to raise awareness on the proposed changes.

A number of conservation groups told the JEP they would defer commenting on the draft law until after a presentation planned for next Tuesday.

But Chris Perkins, of Jersey Action for Wildlife, said one change being proposed is needed.

‘One immediately apparent improvement on the old law is that it will be prohibited to “disturb” a protected wild animal,’ he said. ‘The current law only prohibits the killing of protected species and the damaging of nests etc. So, it doesn’t, for instance, protect Brent geese from being harassed by jet-skiers, as witnessed by my wife last weekend.’

According to the consultation paper, the new Wildlife Law is needed to bring Jersey in line with international commitments on the protection of wildlife. One of the areas the new legislation seeks to improve are the definitions of wild animals and wild birds.

The consultation paper notes that, under current law, the definition of a wild animal – any animal other than a bird which is, or, before it was killed or taken, was living wild – has come to include animals like ferrets.

Once brought to the Island as pets, ferrets now have self-sustaining colonies which threaten native species of ground-nesting birds.

A new proposed definition would limit protections to native species and prevent people from releasing animals into the wild.

The draft law will replace the Conservation of Wildlife Law 2000.

The new legislation would also allow for grades of protection based on the threat level to the species and its distribution.

This hierarchy of protection, once established, would be regularly reviewed.

And protecting nests and dens would also be given more consideration, as currently they are only protected when in use, but many migrating birds will return to the same nest every year, if they are protected.

Areas of Special Protection could be introduced to protect sensitive habitats, whether for breeding time or all year round.

Concerns have also been raised about the amount of roadkill that has been spotted recently.

The Jersey Biodiversity Centre has asked that residents report any dead squirrels found to its website.

The centre’s education officer, Sarah Maguire, said that information is vital to making the Island safer for wildlife.

‘Tracking roadkill, as well as live animals crossing roads, helps create maps to show where precautions may be needed to protect wildlife moving around our Island,’ she said. ‘For squirrels, the records can be used to help with the creation of squirrel bridges (by Jersey Trees for Life) in areas where we know there have been casualties or a high number of live squirrels recorded crossing.’

If residents come across an injured or dead squirrel, they can be brought to the JSPCA.

‘The JSPCA are also collecting dead red squirrels for research on disease. You can drop off the casualties at the JSPCA reception with a note of where you found it,’ Ms Maguire said.

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