The cliffs have effectively been protected from development since 1927. More recently, in 1989, Land Use Consultants identified the whole of the south coast cliff area as a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) in their report "A Strategy for the Conservation and Enhancement of Guernsey's Rural Environment". This status is similar to the U.K.'s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), although at present it provides no legal protection.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) also identified the area as an Important Bird Area in 1992, since it is internationally significant as a Dartford Warbler breeding area.

The importance of the cliffs is also reflected under local planning law and are classified under the Rural Area Plan as Areas of Special Environmental Importance.

The cliffs are also protected by various local bye-laws or ordinances, including the Places of Recreation (Amendment) Ordinance, 1996, and the Control of Dogs Ordinance, 1992.

Rich Biodiversity

The south coast cliffs are the largest continuous expanse of semi-natural vegetation on the Island, consisting mainly of maritime heathland and clifftop grassland.

These habitats support a rich array of vegetation including shrubs and trees such as blackthorn, elder, gorse and hawthorn; parasitic plants such as honeysuckle; and smaller flowering plants including foxgloves, sea-pinks, sea-campion and rock samphire. Rarer plants that can be found on the cliffs are sand crocus, bladder campion and various orchids. The cliff paths are more sheltered in the south-east and there are woodlands dominated by ash, elm and sycamore. In the Spring the Bluebell Wood is beautifully carpeted with blue nodding flower heads.

The wide variety of vegetation supports animal species, many of which are rare in the United Kingdom. Bird species found around the cliffs include the cormorant, shag, fulmar, kittiwake, oystercatcher, Dartford warbler, peregrine falcon and long-eared owls which nest in the sheltered valleys.

Cliff Path Cutting

Guernsey's cliff paths are cut by hand twice a year between May and October by a team of 6-8 full time labourers. This keeps the paths clear for walkers and stops the natural progression of invasive species such as bracken and coarse grasses. The team uses traditional "french hooks" of sickles, which is more environmentally friendly than using machines.

The cutting times are rotated each year so that sections which are cut early one year are cut progressively later in subsequent years, returning to an early cut when the cycle is complete. This ensures that each section benefits from a late cut, and helps to retain the biodiversity of the cliffs. Cutting before the flowers had set seed would result in an ever decreasing seed bank and eventual loss of many flower species from the cliffs.

Cutting by hand has three main benefits:

1. It is silent and maintains the tranquil beauty of the cliffs.
2. The path can remain open.
3. The sickle makes a clean cut, so the cuttings can be gathered up more easily than the small pieces left behind by a strimmer.
   

This cutting regime has been carefully devised in consultation with La Société Guernesiaise, a local conservation body.