Greening Jersey Kickstarts Jersey Finance’s 2026 Calendar

Here at Jersey Finance, we opened our 2026 events calendar with a CPD-accredited lunch and learn webinar, exploring Greening Jersey (GJ) and how rewilding can strengthen our Island’s natural ecosystem. The webinar brought together Durrell, Jersey Trees for Life and National Trust Jersey to share 2025 KPIs, 2026 priorities and how a partnership with the finance sector can deliver tangible environmental outcomes.

Rewilding in practice: what it means for Jersey

Tom McKenna, Sustainable Finance Lead at Jersey Finance and a committee member of GJ, introduced the GJ initiative and outlined rewilding in practical terms. This included highlighting some inspiring case studies involving wolves in Yellowstone National Park and the reintroduction of bison in woodland surrounding Kent. Tom outlined the rewilding priorities: restoring what has been lost; bringing back native species; allowing natural processes to return; enabling healthier ecosystems that support climate resilience and community wellbeing; and how this will be applied in Jersey.

Greening Jersey: progress and priorities

Tom also shared the initiative’s progress and its growing ambition for the year ahead. 2025 highlights included:

• 39 participating firms and £41,500 in contributions
• Three sites committed to and already being rewilded (La Moye, Egypte and La Vallette)
• 15 events delivered, building a hands-on volunteer community around the initiative

For 2026, GJ already has 24 confirmed participating firms, with £46,500+ committed, reaffirming the decision to introduce a suggested headcount-based contribution. Planned activity includes: continued restoration at existing sites; a significant expansion of the La Vallette site area; a proposed community orchard in St Mary (subject to planning); and potential pond restoration at Plemont. Alongside this, an expanded programme of volunteer events is planned and hopefully partnership with Durrell.

Saving species and restoring habitats with Durrell

Kate Mackay from Durrell explained how targeted conservation can restore lost species while strengthening ecosystems. She shared the story of the red-billed chough, a species that disappeared from Jersey around 1900, highlighting progress through the Birds on the Edge partnership, including captive breeding, soft releases and ongoing monitoring. Milestones included the first wild-hatched chick in 2015, and the largest flock recorded in Jersey in 2025, with a long-term management plan now in development.

Kate also spoke about Durrell’s ‘head-starting’ work for Jersey’s critically endangered agile frog, which has been confined to a single location at Ouaisne Common since the 1980s. By collecting spawn from the wild and rearing tadpoles in bio-secure facilities at Jersey Zoo before release, Durrell has boosted survival rates and, by 2025, it had supported the release of more than 80,000 tadpoles. Durrell is now working on an exciting proposal with National Trust Jersey to translocate the agile frog to an additional location which, if approved by the GJ committee, will be an additional project for the initiative, and a first for Jersey.

Tree planting and volunteering with Jersey Trees for Life

Alex Morel, CEO of Jersey Trees for Life, provided an update on the GJ woodland sites. At La Moye Woods – a 6,000m² area once earmarked for development – GJ planted 656 trees across 19 species in 2025. At Egypte Woods, following woodland management and rejuvenation work in 2025, the focus for 2026 is the expansion of the woodland. This is starting with the planting of 311 new saplings this winter, encouraging natural regeneration, and is progressing a longer-term management plan undertaken by GJ volunteer sessions across the year.

National Trust Jersey: long-term commitment

Henry Glynn, Ecologist at National Trust Jersey, reflected on the importance of a sustained, multi-year commitment to nature recovery. He shared how GJ is supporting projects across National Trust sites, including work at La Vallette, and ambitions to connect habitat restoration with wider programmes, such as the agile frog partnership and north coast rewilding.

Looking ahead

The message is clear: GJ offers a practical route for the finance industry to contribute to nature recovery in Jersey, while strengthening shared purpose, employee wellbeing and collaboration with like-minded peers.

We encourage you to sign up, take part in 2026 volunteer events and help scale the initiative’s impact across the Island.

View the presentation slides.