Wednesday 22 August 2012
Environment Department response to media enquiry from BBC Radio Guernsey.
Media Enquiry from BBC Radio Guernsey:
I would like an interview with someone from the Environment Department.
The areas to cover would include:
Reaction to no one signing up to MCS beach clean - presser below.
This summer's Guernsey Coastal Clean Up organised by yourselves.
Questions to include - how successful was it? How many people took part etc.
Has the Guernsey clean up discouraged people taking part in the national beach clean-up?
Would the department encourage people to take part?
How important is it to measure the levels of beach litter?
Is the department planning any initiatives to tackle litter left by humans using the coast - the biggest cause.
Taken from Marine Conservation Press Release
In last year's event 262 islanders cleaned 24 beaches which had the lowest density of litter anywhere in the UK - just 544 pieces of litter per kilometre of beaches cleaned compared to 1,015 items the year before - a drop of 46%.
However so far this year MCS says no Channel Island beaches are booked in to be cleaned which could indicate that last year's drop in litter was seen as a success that couldn't be topped.
MCS Beachwatch Officer, Lauren Davis, says it's vital that Channel Islanders keep up their good work and organise or volunteer at beaches around the islands.
Environment Department Response:
The MCS Beachwatch has been running for over twenty years. Previously the Environment Department has co-ordinated Beachwatch in Guernsey and Herm, circulating information to participants and then passing event information (with the permission of the volunteer organisers) back to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). Volunteers then directly uploaded their survey information to the MCS website. This was very successful and historically Guernsey has always provided more volunteers per capita than any other area in Great Britain.
This year MCS decided all organisers/volunteers wanting to clean/survey beaches around Britain must register their events direct on the MCS website with final details confirmed by 13 August. The MCS contacted everyone in the Channel Islands via e-mail in mid-June with the information on this year's Beachwatch Big Weekend. The Environment Department contacted Ms Davies in early August to check how the 2012 Beachwatch campaign was going and was disappointed to learn that there were no registrations in the Channel Islands at that point. The Department promptly emailed (6 August) all the local volunteers who regularly took part in previous Beachwatch events in Guernsey and Herm and encouraged people to register as soon as possible with the MCS and gave the link to the website. A few responded advising that they had already attempted to register their details but had not received confirmation from MCS.
The Environment Department has always supported Beachwatch as the national survey provides valuable data to support changes in marine pollution legislation. Locally it is a good indicator of the levels of rubbish found, and more importantly what types are prevalent in the Channel Islands, enabling the States Departments to focus resources for campaigning and cleansing. The Environment Department manages 98 sites around the coast with litter bins and in many cases, recycling bins for beach litter to encourage people to dispose of their litter responsibly.
The third annual locally organised Coastal Clean Up campaign was well supported this year. Approximately 100 people took part and 14 beaches were cleaned over two weekends in early July. The Department considers it would be surprising if the Coastal Clean Up had a detrimental effect on the take up of the MCS Beachwatch Big Weekend as this was not the case in the previous two years. It also does not explain why MCS has not received any registrations from the other Channel Islands.
Contact Information:
Environmental Services Unit
Environment Department
Tel: 01481 717 200
