Be a Volunteer

Available all year — Participants: approx. 4-20

La Société owns 24 nature reserves in Guernsey and cares for an additional 31 hectares of land. Management of this land is essential for the health of Guernsey’s wildlife and environment. Each site needs its own careful and sensitive management – over or under management of these sites can lead to loss in nature and biodiversity of the island.
Practical work varies according to the time of year; in the winter work could be orientated around tree care and in spring it could be removing hemlock water dropwort. Activities include raking, cutting vegetation, removing non-native species, cutting reed beds, removing tree guards and cutting back brambles.

Available all year round — Participants: approx. 4-20

The collection of data is vital to enable us to understand the overall state of nature and individual species which ultimately informs us to make better choices about its management for long term preservation and resilience.
Without the information gathered from the surveying and recording undertaken by thousands of enthusiastic volunteers we would not be able to make informed decisions and advise Government on environmental policies.
All data recorded from our surveying will be passed to the Guernsey Biological Records Centre where it will be added to our local records and contribute to our understanding of the state of the islands environment. It can also be presented back to you, to show what you’ve been able to contribute and how you have helped make a difference.

Photo by Barry Wells

Available as required — Participants: Small groups

Corporates can also work in close collaboration with La Société by sponsoring bird hides for our nature reserves. These benefit the whole community as all of our hides are open to the public. This is an amazing opportunity for corporations to make a meaningful contribution to the protection of our island’s nature.

Many of La Société’s nature reserves have bird hides which provide much enjoyment to islanders and visitors as you can watch the birds without disturbing them. The hides need regular maintenance and cleaning, and some renovating from time to time.

Photo by Andy Marquis

Available April-October — Participants: approx. 4 – 20

Discover our nocturnal neighbours! A fun, easy and scientifically accurate way to tell if hedgehogs visit us is by setting up tunnels that can pick up the footprints of hedgehogs and other animals. Through these surveys we can investigate whether hedgehogs live in or around a particular area of the island. Any data we can gather on hedgehogs is crucial as in the last 13 years hedgehogs have declined by 46% and are now critically endangered in the UK.
These surveys can be undertaken from April until the end of October, when hedgehogs are most likely to be active, after this they hibernate for winter.

Alongside setting up the hedgehog tunnels, if it is a clear evening we can also do a bat walk using detectors!

Photo by Andy Marquis

Available all year round – Participants: approx. 4 – 20

Here’s your chance to help discover what species are thriving in and around our ever-changing seashores. There is always something to find just below the surface whether it’s a crab skulking in a clump of seaweed, a delicate star fish or a sea anemone on the pool floor. There is so much life that is living on our shorelines that is both fascinating and hardy as they survive a constantly changing environment.
Rock pooling is a great way to discover more about our marine environments and observe changes. The data gathered can help us understand how our seashores are being impacted by threats such as climate change, invasive non-native species or disturbance.

Available all year round — Participants: approx. 4 – 15

Crab surveying is a fun and easy way to engage meaningfully with our marine environment whilst using citizen science to generate valuable scientific data.
Crab surveying raises awareness of the changing distribution of native and non-native crabs and also encourages people to explore and engage with our oceans. Crab surveying is a way for us to assess the population dynamics we have in Guernsey, for example the crabs’ gender, population health and population split.
Crabs are easily impacted by human activities, including warming seas, the introduction of invasive species and overexploitation, this makes them an ideal subject to help indicate how our oceans are changing and the impacts of these threats.

Available all year round — Participants: approx. 4 – 20

Beach cleans are a great way to act locally whilst thinking globally.
Guernsey’s beaches play a fundamental role in our heritage, tourism, economy, ecosystems and our population’s wellbeing. Our beaches are far from being summer only spaces as our community enjoys and rely upon our beaches 365 days a year. They’re also important spaces for many species of bird, both the year round residents and the birds that stop here on migration, which rely on the beaches for food and rest.
For many reasons, one of the biggest problems that we face today is the pollution of our beaches and the oceans. Marine litter can often be mistaken for food by marine animals and when ingested it can cause choking or block stomachs causing them to starve. If not eaten, plastic will break down over several years into microplastics, which absorb pollutants and become toxic particles which, when eaten by fish could then end up on our plate!
Beach cleaning benefits the many families and visitors who want to enjoy our beaches pollution free but it will also help provide a cleaner habitats for Guernsey’s wildlife and specially sea birds. Local ornithologists who ring sea birds regularly come across nests which include litter such as fishing net, plastic cord and many household items.

Photo by Visit Guernsey

Available all year — Participants: approx. 6-20

Sour fig is an invasive plant from South Africa which was introduced to the island over 100 years ago but its spread was kept in check by cold winters. As our winters have become milder, and as sour fig has no pests or diseases in Guernsey, there is nothing to slow its growth. It is now spreading rapidly along our coastal grasslands and natural areas despite efforts to control it. Without management, the fig would quickly cover the entire coastal verge, smothering the native grasslands and at the expense of all other wildlife.
The flowers of this alien invader may look attractive, however they do not provide food for our local bees and butterflies who are not able to access their nectar. Working to remove this invasive non-native plant will help prevent further loss of habitat and restore our internationally important coastal grasslands and provide wildlife for future generations.

Available all year round – Participants: 4 – 8

Marine life in general, and cetaceans (dolphins and porpoises) in particular are facing increasing pressures on their environment – disturbance from vessels, accidental capture in fishing equipment, pollution, including noise pollution. With more people enjoying recreational activities on the sea we run the risk of being a threat to wildlife, by either directly injuring animals through collision with vessels or by stressing them with the noise from propellers and motors.
By undertaking cetacean monitoring we can collect data to provide a clearer understanding of when and where different species congregate and feed, and in turn help us reduce the risk of those pressures.

Photo by Nicky Harris

March – October — Participants: Small group

January-May — Participants: approx. 4-10

Guernsey is home to four amphibians and reptiles; we have the common frog, smooth newt, slow-worm and green lizard.
The Guernsey Amphibian and Reptile Survey started in 2012. It is part of the National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme and helps us to understand the populations of our few local species. The methods vary depending on which species you are monitoring, but it can be as simple as counting the clumps of frogspawn in a pond.
The survey methodology is currently under renovation and will be restarting in spring 2021.

Photo by The Guernsey Biological Records Centre