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“Disheartened” conservation groups say that States Members have “ignored the strength of feeling of the electorate” in rejecting a proposal to create a 900 km2 marine national park around Jersey.
Blue Marine Foundation and the National Trust for Jersey had strongly supported Senator Lyndon Farnham’s bid to include the park in the Bridging Island Plan.
However, his amendment was defeated after a number of his ministerial colleagues, including Environment Minister John Young, argued that – without appropriate fisheries legislation – creating a park as a planning zone would be a 'toothless' decision.
External Relations Minister Ian Gorst added that the park could be used as a tool by the French as evidence – albeit incorrect - that Jersey was not following the terms of the post Brexit EU-UK trade deal, which defines how Jersey’s territorial waters are managed.
In a statement after the proposal's defeat, the two organisations - Blue Marine Foundation and the National Trust for Jersey, said: “We are concerned and disappointed that States Members have rejected Senator Farnham’s proposal to create a marine park in 30% of Jersey waters.
Pictured: The marine park set out by Senator Farnham and the two environmental organisations would have been within the dotted line.
“In doing so they have chosen to go against poll findings showing that 85% of Jersey’s islanders are in favour of a marine park, rising to 91% among 17-24-year-olds.
“It’s disheartening that States Members appeared to be ignoring the strength of feelings among Jersey’s electorate about the need to improve the protection of the island’s marine environment with the level of ambition now signed up to by 100 countries around the world.
“We believe that the proposal for a marine park will live to fight another day and it us up to those who are contesting this summer’s election to show that they share the views of the people.
“We welcome the proposals of the Environment Minister to include marine spatial planning and more Marine Protected Areas in the Bridging Island Plan, but without any specific quantum these are just the building blocks of protection lacking the ambition which could have been achieved in the form of a marine park.
“Sadly, the current States Assembly has missed the opportunity to help Jersey become a world leader in environmental protection and opted for compromise and bureaucratic mediocrity.”
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