Next time you are out and about on a walk you may notice some small waxy blocks on the beach. It is very likely that this is palm oil, found in hundreds of household products from biscuits to pizza, and a leading cause of tropical rainforest deforestation. Palm oil is shipped across the world in tankers from where it is grown to countries which use it for manufacturing food items. Tankers carrying these oils can still presently discharge any residue oils straight into the sea (a new law preventing this does not come into effect until mid-2021). The fats usually harden and wash up on beaches globally, including on Alderney. As a liquid the palm oil fat poses the same problem as any oil spill, contaminating the feathers and internal organs of wildlife and depriving the water column of oxygen. In the water pollutants like diesel and other chemicals along with microplastics may get on to the hardened palm oil blocks. It is this aspect that causes the palm oil to pose a threat to wildlife and pets on the beach if they eat the oil. Just keep an eye out for these waxy blocks, and if you find some please do pick it up if you have gloves or in the same way as you would for dog poo. We are lucky here in that we rarely see it in particularly large quantities or for very long.
Before this new law comes into effect, which should reduce the amount of palm oil on UK beaches, I would urge you to check the ingredients of the food you buy. It’s always a shock to see how many products contain palm oil and how little of it is responsibly sourced. There are even issues with the sustainable certification – the RSPO, but look for that or their logo if you can.
The puffins ventured on to land last Thursday, 2nd April. There was high drama from the offset as one of the puffins was caught by a buzzard – a totally natural process which, although sad for puffin fans, is part of the circle of life. The puffins will be appearing more and more now on the cameras as they investigate their burrows and start the nesting process. It is an important time for the AWT staff to be conducting counts on the cameras as later in the season residents are joined by non-breeding puffins from elsewhere – so this is the best estimate for the true number breeding on Burhou. If you are watching colony cam and you see it moving around on the water it is likely we are conducting a survey!