By Stephen Le Quesne
AT the end of next week, I leave the Island for three weeks to return to one of my favourite jobs, as a story developer for BBC Springwatch. For the three weeks that the show is on air, I will be working busily within one of the broadcast trucks, studying, observing, and recording the wildlife on the live cameras.
The live-camera broadcast truck is the hub of energy on Springwatch. It is where the stars of the show, the wildlife species are watched as they encounter their daily battles to look after their young. We are there to record what happens, to make behavioural observations and see how this links to scientific research and nature conservation efforts.
One of the many privileges of this role is having the opportunity to talk to individuals who are striving to protect nature where they are and for whatever organisation they are working for.
The new, ground-breaking projects are the most fascinating to discuss. Maybe the focus is on reintroducing a species, or to restore some of the UK’s ancient rainforest. Whatever it is, it seems a world away from how Jersey views and protects its own natural environment.
I am frustrated daily with nature conservation in Jersey because we are not doing much at all. Political will is absent and there is currently a lack of political knowledge and a dire need for extra resources for government departments and wildlife charities.
This is no criticism of the individuals who work within the environmental sector, more of a comment on how we have, maybe accidentally, become content with doing the bare minimum.
We may think and feel Jersey is beautiful, but when you look deeper, you will see that our natural spaces are often overcrowded, poorly studied, in poor condition and put under immense pressure from the consequences of intense farming methods. It is not outlandish to say that in general our countryside is devoid of life.
In the UK there are on-going and continuous projects to reintroduce beavers, bison, storks, water voles and white-tailed sea eagles, among many other species. There are conferences, talks and festivals on topics such as reintroducing the wolf and regenerative farming methods as well as many more funding streams for landowners and organisations to apply for. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, but ideas and projects are in motion to turn this around.
As an island we are missing out on all this positivity, knowledge, and expertise. Why though? Is it just that we do not know, or do not want to know? Or that we unfortunately do not have the right individuals where it matters? Is it ignorance or arrogance or something else entirely?
These questions came into focus recently when the Constable of St Helier called for action to enhance the north of St Helier and as an example, he used Trenton Square as a “generous provision of open space”. Trenton Square is a bad example of green open space. There is no natural diversity, no complexity, no ingenuity, it is a sterile green area. It is not good enough, especially when you compare it with what has and can be done. I do not want to go hard against the area, but how can I not? Especially, when we know that biodiverse, complex, wildlife enriching areas in urban areas are good for people’s health, community cohesion and for wildlife.
What would I like to see in the future? A complete re-evaluation of how we plan and design our urban green spaces, plus stricter rules on new green spaces for developers, especially in St Helier. Trees in planters is not a good plan.
I would create two new outdoor schools, one for primary and one for secondary that have the natural world at its core. I would also give the Environment Department and the Jersey Biodiversity Centre a lot more funding. Our knowledge on what is happening to our wildlife is poor and we have a lot of gaps in our monitoring data. We should strive to know more about our hedgehog population, squirrel population, our small mammal species and species of bird, and that is without taking into consideration our coastal and marine environment. There is also the incredibly large topic of our soil quality and health.
We just do not treat nature conservation seriously enough. It seems to be a nice-to-have, but not essential to how we live. Restoring nature and putting more of a focus on it, is not going to wreck the economy, nor is it just some “green rubbish”. It will make the island more resilient to future challenges and let us make decisions that are better informed in the short-term and long-term. Plus, I would really like to see children experience joy and amazement of experiencing nature first hand, no matter where they live.
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Stephen Le Quesne is a naturalist, conservationist, forest school leader and nature connection advocate.
