©Bill Black - Grey seal
Living Seas
Around half of the UK's wildlife lives in the sea – from microscopic plankton to mighty whales; but our seas are under pressure from all sides. Alderney's strong currents and tides enrich the island's waters so that they brim with wildlife, which the AWT studies and conserves with our Living Seas programme.
The Wildlife Trusts' ambition is to lead the way towards a healthy, productive and wildlife-rich future for UK coasts and seas, needed for a sustainable society and economy. For many years, pollution, unsustainable development and the way we fish have damaged and depleted our seas. Our vision is for Living Seas - where better protection and management of our seas means that species which have declined can become common again. This work centres on four themes:
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and wildlife;
- Fishing and seafood;
- Marine planning and sustainable development;
- Legislation and policy.
The Alderney Wildlife Trust's Living Seas
To support the Wildlife Trusts' ambition, we have developed an Alderney Living Seas Programme. The programme aims to follow the UK vision, while being adapted to suit the island.
The Alderney Living Seas Programme first aims to support current projects and strategies on Alderney, including:
- The Alderney Ramsar Site Management Strategy with the Alderney Wildlife Trust and the States of Alderney;
- The planning, management and research of potential marine protected areas (MPAs) within and beyond Alderney's territorial waters;
- Potential local marine and land renewable energy development planning, research and assessment activities;
- Marine conservation awareness and education;
- The AWT's learning and engagement work;
- Other local, regional and international based marine conservation activities. This includes: fisheries issues, climate change initiatives, policy and legislative designations (i.e. Convention of Biological Diversity);
- UK wide Living Seas projects (i.e. marine conservation zone (MCZ) campaigns).
The Alderney Living Seas Programme secondly aims to further understand Alderney's marine environment, through:
- Conducting marine intertidal and sub-tidal species and habitat surveys;
- Establishing marine mammal species surveys in collaboration with the Sea Watch Foundation;
- Collating records of marine species and habitats, with the Alderney Biodiversity Centre;
- Providing the opportunity for islanders and visitors to learn about Alderney's unique marine environment;
- Creating links with other marine groups, academia and individuals within Alderney, the Channel Islands and beyond.
If you are interested in the Alderney Living Seas Programme or would like further information on the island's marine environment, please contact marine@alderneywildlife.org