When carbon considerations conflict with conservation

When carbon considerations

conflict with conservation

Not so long ago, hooved herbivores used to roam Jersey’s sand dunes. Now the only larger animals you are likely to see are dogs with their owners. Could you imagine flocks of semi-wild animals returning there? Caroline Spencer finds out why that is being proposed as part of a conservation study

Everyone is agreed that we need to protect the sand dunes, one of our Island’s treasures. However, if you measured it only on what they brings to the party in terms of carbon capture, it wouldn’t be top of the list.

The biodiversity of the dunes, on the other hand, is excellent. There are 400 plant species across the dunes, including early sandgrass (mibora minima), arguably the smallest grass species in the world. It’s extremely rare across the British Isles. This conflict, between conserving habitats for their carbon value or their biodiversity, is being studied by Josh Smith. Josh (26), who hails from Wolverhampton, is a PhD student with the Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies (JICAS) and the University of Exeter.

A key aspect of his three-year study, which is funded by the Jersey Community Foundation, is to consider what restorative practices can be adopted to increase carbon sequestration above and below the ground. What Josh would like to see is the development of a grazing network across the Island. Conservation grazing is the use of semi-wild or domesticated grazing livestock to increase the biodiversity of a habitat. Jersey, he says, is in dire need of having hooved herbivores naturally moving around an area, to put pressure on over-dominant species such as bracken, gorse, burnet rose and holm oak.

‘You need animals that will roll around, trample everything, score pathways. Reptiles can bask, marsh harriers can swoop in, everything comes alive.

‘Implementing an ecologically balanced grazing regime in an open coastal habitat like the dunes will support species that rely on active disturbance processes,’ he said.

‘Livestock integration is one of five key principles to increasing soil health and carbon below the ground,’ Josh said. ‘Integrating an adaptive grazing strategy with restorative agricultural practices could lead to an estimated increase of 44 percent soil organic carbon in 20 years. A solution to the conflicting conservation goals could be found by incorporating natural (dune grassland and heathland) and agricultural habitats (wet meadow, pasture and cropland) into one unified grazing network.

'Major soil carbon sequestration on the agricultural land could outweigh the carbon emission generated in the coastal habitats.’

“I have faith that we are going in the

right direction. The real question is: Are we going fast enough?

Mixed grazing flocks could include cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and even deer. ‘I’m not advocating deer,’ he explained. ‘What I’m advocating is an open discussion with as many different stakeholders as possible, including the Government of Jersey, dairy farmers, shepherds and dog walkers.’

Josh’s proposal would not mean that there would be severely restricted access to the dunes. He wants to keep them as accessible as possible to walkers and dogs.

In March this year, a flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep were introduced to a fenced area near La Moye Golf Club as part of a trial grazing plan to control the spread of dominant plant species. Josh, who studied zoology at the University of Birmingham, will be interested to see how the Environment Department’s project goes. ‘That escarpment, up by the golf course fence, is being taken over by bracken, privet and blackthorn, and that threatens the tiny grasses that stabilise the dune.

‘Does the little grass matter? It poses the question, what are our ethics, our principles, what is our impact, why are we conserving these habitats, and these species? You shouldn’t just protect something for the sake of it. You should protect it for a reason - backed by evidence and research.

‘Building this wider grazing network incorporates both carbon sequestration and biodiversity gains. It could outweigh and actually significantly sequester more carbon to the point where you’re doing Jersey’s part for climate change, and you’re offering an extra revenue for farmers through the increased nutrients in crops.

‘The other economic potential for farmers is by sequestering carbon into the soil, you could claim carbon credits.’

Josh has already spoken to many stakeholders, including the Government, the National Trust for Jersey, the Carbon Farm and the Dark Green Carbon trading platform. ‘I would really like my study to be a model for other agriculturally intensive continental islands,’ he said. ‘I’d also like it to be an opportunity for Jersey to transition to regenerative agriculture.

‘I feel there is a tipping point, a positive tipping point, whereby we can push some ecological change in the right direction.

‘I have faith that we are going in the right direction. The real question is: Are we going fast enough?’