Map of Alderney (click to view full-size)
Background
Alderney is one of the Channel Islands, a group of small islands lying close to the French coast. It is the third-largest of the Channel Islands, after Jersey and Guernsey, and is the most northerly of them all. The island is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, though has its own government. Approximately 2,400 people live on the island.
Legislation regarding Impact Assessment
No all-embracing wildlife protection laws currently exist for Alderney, although the desire to introduce such legislation appears to exist. Current legislation dealing with wildlife protection and with development is as follows:
- Green Belt Law 1935
- Protection of Wild Birds Ordinance 1949, amended 1962, 1965 and 1986
- Mauvaises Herbes Loi 1933 (Noxious Weeds Law), amended 2004
- Wild Plants Protection Order 1950
- Maintenance of Hedges, etc. Ordinance 1953
- Building & Development Control Law 1969 (as amended)
Alderney, as one of the UK Overseas Territories, is also a signatory of the Environmental Charter.
More information about these laws can be found on the legislation page.
Development Issues
Biodiversity interest
Typically, Alderney has an island biodiversity, with fewer species than the neighbouring mainland, and due to the proximity of France, there is a continental European mix of species. The island is particularly well-known for its floral diversity, with approximately 900 extant species of plant, around 100 species per km2.
A decline in agricultural activity on the island has left many of the habitats in danger of disappearing as, like many of Europe's habitats, they have developed through a long history of agricultural use.
Unsurprisingly, mammal diversity is low, although an unusual variety of blonde hedgehogs occurs.
Further information about Alderney's threatened and endemic species can be found through this page.
Protected Areas
The west coast of Alderney and the Burhou islands were designated as a Ramsar site in 2005, the first of this designation in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Alderney holds around 1.5% of the world population of Northern Gannet Morus bassanus, as well as the only colony of European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus in the Channel Islands.
Further information about Alderney's protected areas can be found through this page.