Mourant has made a donation to help fund a revolutionary sea water testing kit in Guernsey, as part of the firm’s commitment to its Mourant Ocean Pledge.
The kit will be used by La Société Guernesiaise and affiliated citizen projects to measure, amongst other things, the temperature, pH and salinity of the water in the seas around Guernsey. This allows professionals to further monitor the health of sea creatures as well as the recent influences of climate change.
La Société Guernesiaise was founded in 1882 to encourage the study of the history, natural history, geography and geology of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the conservation of the Bailiwick’s natural environment and the preservation of its historic buildings and monuments.
Commenting on the donation, Mourant’s Guernsey Managing Partner, John Lewis (pictured), said: “Protecting our oceans is vital to the health of island communities such as Guernsey. We’re proud to support La Société Guernesiaise in introducing this innovative sea water testing kit, which will provide valuable data to help monitor and preserve Guernsey’s marine environment. At Mourant, we’re committed to giving back to the communities where we live and work, and this project is a meaningful way to contribute to the long-term sustainability of our local environment.”
Nicky Harris from the Marine Biology Section of La Société Guernesiaise, added: “The ability to conduct sea water testing is a valuable new opportunity for the Bailiwick Eelgrass Exploration Project (BEEP) and our studies into seagrass around Guernsey’s bailiwick. The equipment allows us to investigate how different bays vary in their temperature, salinity and total dissolved solids among other factors, and how this relates to the health and growth of the different eelgrass beds. There is always natural variation between bays, but the influence of human activities, including run-off and pollutants, together with climate factors, can also be monitored and analysed this way, paving the way for targeted recommendations to help the beds thrive to their fullest potential.”
