Context

Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency located off the coast of France. The majority of the island consists of agricultural land alongside built-up areas and natural landscapes (Figure 1).

Climate change already threatens Jersey; more frequent and intense heatwaves (and therefore demand for water), increased winter rainfall and flooding and a significant threat from sea-level rise to housing, infrastructure, agriculture, and the natural environment. These threats of warmer temperatures and altered rainfall patterns even jeopardise the island’s famed Jersey Royal potatoes!

In response, Jersey’s Net Zero carbon project is a long-term commitment to drastically reduce its carbon footprint, transition to a sustainable economy, and protect the island and its community from the impacts of climate change. It involves ambitious targets, strategic policy interventions across various sectors, and active engagement with the public and businesses all with an aim to increase Jersey’s resilience.

What we did

To support this journey to Net Zero, we created a baseline record of habitat extent and carbon storage and sequestration for the island – mapping the unseen value of Jersey’s environment. Subsequently, this evidence was used to identify the best areas available for enhancing carbon sequestration, supporting nature recovery through changes in land management (e.g. habitat creation and regenerative agriculture). The outputs are helping Jersey understand its climate change challenge.

Results

We mapped and quantified Jersey’s carbon storage and sequestration across all land types, presenting the information as interactive ‘living maps’ via Esri ArcGIS to communicate the findings transparently (Figure 2).

Given Jersey is aiming for Net Zero by 2050, our work has established the first comprehensive carbon storage baseline of the island. The insights are being used to craft an effective strategy and roadmap; identifying key areas for nature recovery and enhanced carbon capture, which will offset the island’s total emissions and provide an understanding of Jersey’s progress towards Net Zero.

Take a look at the maps and find the report here.