Guernsey has its own wetland

Habitat receives international accolade. An area of Guernsey’s seabed and wetlands has been awarded status of global significance by the recognised international wetlands body, Ramsar. This is the UK’s 166^th wetlands site to be designated a protected area by Ramsar, the UN Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

Guernsey’s clean marine environment and unspoilt landscape have contributed to create a wetland site bursting with rare sea flora and fauna covering 427 hectares – over 1,050 acres. The site has some of the largest and most important intertidal areas in Western Europe, due to Guernsey having a 10-metre tidal range – one of the largest in the world. Part of the site covers a seaweed-strewn cobbled causeway, which connects Lihou island to Guernsey and is submerged under the sea at high tide.

There are wet meadows, orchid fields, reed beds, birding sites and saltmarshes; some of the site is sea bed and other parts are land area. The wetland includes a number of critically-endangered species of birds, butterflies and mammals. The shingle banks at L’Erée and Lihou are also internationally threatened habitats and very rich in plant species, including sea kale and yellow-horned poppy.

To celebrate the new official wetland status Guernsey Post has commissioned a set of six stamps to be released in late July. The stamps were designed by a well-known wildlife illustrator, Wendy Bramall, and include real Guernsey images with a marine focus.