Events in Lihou next weekend

Monday 31 January 2022

Lihou Island will host various public events to mark World Wetlands Day – an international environmental celebration which dates back to 1971.

World Wetlands Day is on Wednesday this week and the events in Lihou are taking place on Sunday, 6 February.

They include a survey of crabs run by the Education Conservation Team of La Société Guernesiaise and a beach clean run by the Clean Earth Trust.

Anyone is welcome to take part. Organisers will meet volunteers at the Lihou headland car park at 14:45. The causeway is open from 15:01 until 17:15. Volunteers are welcome for any part of the visit which suits them during these times.

Pictured: A beach clean is one of the events taking place in Lihou Island this coming Sunday to mark World Wetlands Day, which is always officially on the second day of February.

The event is being organised jointly by the States, the Clean Earth Trust, La Société Guernesiaise and the Lihou Charitable Trust.

Organisers said: “The day is intended to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands as well as actively helping to improve the environment and survey the wildlife found on Lihou.

“Lihou is the perfect location for such an event as it has been designated a Ramsar site since 2006, meaning it is an area identified as being of high ecological importance and is part of an international convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands."

Experts will be on hand to answer questions about wetlands and why they are important locally and globally.

Facilities and hot drinks will be provided by the Lihou Charitable Trust and participants are asked to bring their own reusable mug.

Pictured: Julia Henney, Biodiversity Officer, has been speaking about the importance of wetlands ahead of World Wetlands Day on Wednesday, 2 February, and events to mark it in Lihou Island this coming Sunday, 6 February. 

“Wetlands are amongst the most productive of the world's ecosystems, providing important habitat and supporting a rich biodiversity,” said Julia Henney, who was appointed Biodiversity Officer after the States agreed the Bailiwick’s first Biodiversity Strategy in 2015.

“They are also a resource of great economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value, but unfortunately they continue to be amongst the world's most threatened ecosystems.

“Many of the breeding bird species found on Lihou and worldwide have been in decline over the past decade due to human disturbance, predation by rats, marine plastic pollution and increased frequency of storms.

“By holding this event, we are encouraging our community to connect with, celebrate and support our wetlands.”

Helen Quin, Head of Operations at the Clean Earth Trust, said: "The last time we did a clean-up in Lihou, we found a lot of plastic water bottles, mostly foreign. It will be interesting to see whether the waste landscape has changed and continue to build on our understanding of how Guernsey's marine environment is being affected by the globe's excessive plastic consumption.

“We're really enjoying our ongoing weekly clean-ups, seeing old and new faces amongst our growing community – come down and join us.”