World wetlands day in Herm

Islanders are invited to take part in a public event in Herm on Sunday 5th February to mark World wetlands day.

The event is being organised by Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services, the Clean Earth Trust, La Société Guernesiaise, Guernsey Conservation Volunteers and the Bailiwick Eelgrass Exploration Project, to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands as well as actively helping to improve the environment in Herm.

There will be plenty of opportunities for people to get involved, including the removal of invasive species, a crab survey and an assessment of the condition of an eelgrass bed.

To get involved, members of the public are asked to meet at 12.30pm at Herm harbour, with the event continuing until 4.15pm. There is no need to sign-up, people are free to come and go at a time that would suit them.

Emily Coule, Natural Environment Officer, said: “This event is a fantastic way to celebrate our unique wetlands across the Bailiwick, by getting stuck in to help improve the environment of one of our Ramsar sites.

“Even if you’ve never been to an event like this before, I’d encourage you to hop on a boat, join us and get involved. Not only is this a celebration of wetlands, but the activities that we’ll be carrying out will enable us to play our part in preserving a site of rich biodiversity.”

Herm is a Ramsar site, which means that it is recognised to be a wetland of international importance. Several important habitats are present in Herm, Jethou and the Humps, including eelgrass beds, maerl beds, shallow reef systems and seven sunken shipwreck reefs, which provide spawning grounds for fish such as sea bass and black sea bream. This site also supports flatfish, shellfish; seabirds, basking shark, sun fish, Atlantic grey seal and four species of cetacean. The coastlines provide breeding sites for nine species of seabird and Atlantic grey seal.