Landscapes

An area of beautiful woodland threatened with building development lay at the very heart of the decision to establish The National Trust for Jersey in 1936, and the protection of landscape has remained at the core of our organisation ever since. The Trust now directly cares for over 1,500 vergées of land, encompassing a rich array of habitats including meadowland, wetland, heathland, orchards, duneland, farmland and coastline. It also affords protection to a further 100 vergées through restrictive covenants.

Actively managed by a small lands team comprising a Lands Manager, Conservation Officer and three Rangers, as well as an ever increasing team of volunteers, the Trust seeks to secure a number of objectives including conservation, bio-diversity, public access and interpretation, supporting sustainable agricultural practices and safeguarding landscape character. With limited financial resources we are reliant upon a number of partnerships, including a conservation grazing scheme using primitive Manx Loaghtan sheep.

Looking to the future, the Trust is determined to continue the work started by its founders by further consolidating its existing holdings, and building upon the ongoing success of the Coastline Campaign. This will be achieved both through acquisition and protective covenant agreements. We recognise that Jersey’s landscape and natural beauty is one of its greatest assets and that it has a duty to try and ensure that this generation does not exploit it to the detriment of those who follow.