PLANS to create a seabird sanctuary at Plémont by installing a nearly 1km-long specialised fence to protect threatened wildlife from invasive predators have garnered hundreds of public comments.
If approved, the plans – submitted by Birds on the Edge towards the end of last year – would see a 907m “predator exclusion fence” installed along the coast, below the public footpath.
The Birds on the Edge initiative is a partnership between the National Trust for Jersey, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the government’s Natural Environment team.
It argued that a “fenced ecosanctuary” would help safeguard the future of many of Jersey’s seabirds, protecting their nests and chicks from non-native predators.
Over 200 public comments have been submitted about the scheme since the plans were lodged in October, the majority of which are supportive of the project.
A number of organisations – including the Jersey National Park – have also written letters backing the application.
Park chairman Jim Hopley described it as “an opportunity to protect a small corner of Jersey to enhance the environmental conditions of the area, which may protect vulnerable seabird populations from predation, thereby increasing recruitment of birds to the breeding populations”.
He continued: “We are mindful of the impact of installing a fence in this unspoilt area of Jersey’s important coastline, but consider that the opportunity that the fence provides overrides those concerns about the landscape intrusion.
“We recognise that seabird populations, worldwide, are in decline and while our foremost responsibility is to protect and preserve Jersey’s wildlife and landscapes, we also recognise that our wildlife populations do not function in isolation and that by enhancing local wildlife, we are also supporting international efforts to protect wildlife, worldwide.”
