Map of Jersey (click to view full-size)
Background information
Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, a small group of islands near the northwest coast of France. The Bailiwick of Jersey covers the uninhabited Minquiers, Écréhous and Pierres de Lecq, along with a number of minor islets. The Bailiwick is, like that of Guernsey, a Crown Dependency rather than an Overseas Territory.
Theisland covers some 118.2km2, including the intertidal zone and reclaimed land, and has a population of approximately 88,000 (2001).
Legislation regarding biodiversity and impact assessment
International
The UK's ratification of the following international agreements extends to Jersey:
- CBD
- CMS
- Bern Convention
- CITES
Within the CMS, the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats and the African-Eurasian Watebird Agreement extend to Jersey. The state has also decided in principle to work towards the ratification of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the CBD, the International Plant Protection Convention and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
National
Jersey has a number of laws to deal with impact assessment and designation of biodiversity-rich areas, namely:
- Jersey Law 28/1964: Island Planning (Jersey) Law, 1964
- Jersey Law 6/2000: The Conservation of Wildlife (Jersey) Law 2000
- Island Planning (Designation of Sites of Special Interest) (Jersey) Orders
- Island Planning (Designation of Sites of Special Interest) (Jersey) Orders
- Island Planning (Exempt Operations) (Jersey) Orders
Strategies
- Biodiversity: a strategy for Jersey
Futher information about this legislation can be found through the legislation pages.
Key development areas and issues
Jersey's economy relies heavily on financial services, which contribute some 60% of the economy. Other notable economic activities are e-commerce, agriculture and tourism. Key agricultural sectors are potatoes and dairy.
Biodiversity interest
Biodiversity: a strategy for Jersey
Information about important species of Jersey
Protected Areas
Three Sites of Special Interest have been designated (roughly analagous to WHAT?); Les Landes, Les Blanches Banques and La Lande du Ouest.
Jersey has four designated Ramsar sites, covering a total of 18,756ha, with another proposed site - St Ouen's Bay and Les Mielles - adding a further 1,280ha. The designated sites are: Les Écréhous & Les Dirouilles; Le Minquiers; Les Pierres de Lecq (the Paternosters); and the Southeast Coast of Jersey itself.
Further details can be found through the protected areas page.