Plans submitted for Europe's first seabird sanctuary in Jersey

Saturday 26 October 2024

Plans to create Europe's first predator-free seabird sanctuary have been submitted by a conservation group in a bid to protect the island's six remaining puffins from being wiped out by rats and ferrets.

The £5m project, which has been put forward by Birds on the Edge, aims to save the colourful seabirds from local extinction by establishing a protected area east of Plémont.

A one-kilometre predator-proof fence would be installed along the cliffs below the existing footpath between the Lecq Clay Shooting range and Plémont headland, if plans are approved. 

Pictured: Predators such as rats and ferrets have been found in close proximity to the nests of puffins and other seabirds.

This safe zone would protect the puffins, their eggs and chicks from non-native predators, such as rats and ferrets, that are present on the cliffs where the puffins breed. 

Over 30 other species of seabirds, land birds, mammals, reptiles and insects that are native to Jersey will also be protected by the sanctuary. 

Campaigners also hope that locally extinct species like Storm Petrels and Guillemots will return to the area, and have promised to remove the protective fencing in 15 years if biodiversity targets are not met.

The launch of this campaign comes after eight years of ecological research and independent consultations that showed Jersey has lost 99% of its breeding puffin population, 92% of its breeding razorbills, and all of its breeding Guillemots since 1910.

A feasibility study meanwhile concluded that non-native predators have been one of the main causes of the decline of Jersey’s puffin population from more than 200 pairs in the 1910s to only six individuals at present. 

The study also concluded that a purpose-built fence to keep predators out of the area was the only viable option to safeguard the puffin population and allow it to recover to more sustainable levels.

The group, which aims to support declining species by restoring coastal land, argued that puffins would eventually become extinct in Jersey without intervention. 

Pictured: Cris Sellares, project officer for Birds on the Edge. (Rob Currie)

Birds on the Edge project officer Cris Sellarés said: “Without intervention, there is little chance of recovery for our seabirds.

“Non-native predators such as rats and ferrets have been found in close proximity to puffin nests, and are considered the main threat to the colony's survival."

Birds on the Edge – a partnership between the National Trust, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Government's Natural Environment Team – conducted extensive public consultation before submitting the plans.

As well as holding public events and drop-in sessions, the group installed a 15-metre demonstration fence section to show islanders what it would look like. 

Respondents were asked to weigh the preservation of the island’s puffin colony against the visual impact of the protective fencing required to create a seabird reserve – and 92% were supportive of the plans. 

In response to feedback, the partnership modified initial plans in response to concerns about visual impact and access – including reducing the fence length from 3km to 1km, repositioning the fence below the footpath, implementing a colour scheme to blend with surroundings, and maintaining public access through designated gates. 

Alongside the building of the fence, a programme to relocate the predators from inside the reserve area, a bracken management programme aimed at restoring coastal grasslands, and long-term monitoring of the fauna and flora of the reserve will complement the positive effects of the fence on the nature of the area.

"This is about giving nature an opportunity," added Ms Sellarés.

"We're asking to use just 0.03% of our island to support local wildlife and protect one of the most important historic breeding grounds of our struggling seabirds."

While this would be the first sanctuary of its kind in Europe, similar projects have proven successful elsewhere.

On Lundy Island in Devon, for example, the puffin population increased from 13 to 1,335 birds in less than 20 years following a predator removal programme.

The planning application is expected to be published on the Planning Department web portal within three weeks.

 Pictured top: Puffins, storm petrels, razorbills and guillemots will be protected under the plans.