RBC Wealth Management staff have helped La Société Guernesiaise preserve the natural habitat of the extremely rare mole cricket by clearing away dead vegetation from one of its few remaining sites on Guernsey.
The field, in the north of the island, was gifted to La Société Guernesiaise in the 1990s and was cleared of a derelict glasshouse and rubble. Nearly a hundred apple trees were planted, with a hay meadow developed to the rear. The field is an important natural home for the rare mole cricket, with approximately only four having been sighted in the UK since 1970.
Anthony Stagg of La Société Guernesiaise said: ‘The hay meadow needs to be cut back three times a year to provide the right ecosystem for the native plants and wildlife to thrive. As a charity, we rely totally on volunteers to help us with the physical work so we’re therefore extremely grateful to RBC staff for their help.’
Francis Binney, Environmental Officer at RBC Wealth Management said: ‘We’re always looking for worthwhile environmental projects for our staff to become involved with. Change and decline in insect species are often strong indicators of habitat and climate change and in the case of the mole cricket, it is essential that there are enough natural habitats left for it to survive.