Mangrove conservation more critical than ever
(CNS): Month after month, wetlands are being lost across Grand Cayman paving the way for more and more development, despite the obvious and pressing need to stop removing them and, where possible, to start to replenish what has been lost. Though they were often seen in the past simply as a mosquito-breeding swamp, there is growing awareness that mangroves are, in fact, a critical ecosystem. However, this has not yet translated into the necessary blanket protections for this vital habitat.
Although mangroves are given protected status under the National Conservation Act, that legislation is subject to planning laws, a point noted by the Department of Environment (DoE) Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie in a 2021 interview with CNS. “People misunderstand this. They think that the [species conservation] plan somehow allows the National Conservation Council to do more than the act can do,” she said.
This means that mangroves are protected where no planning approval exists, but once a landowner is cleared to develop a property, those wetlands lose their protected status. During just one meeting of the CPA in May, a small number of planning applications on the agenda placed over 140 acres of mangroves at risk.
Today, Wednesday 26 July, is World Mangrove Day and local conservation groups such as Amplify Cayman, Sustainable Cayman and the Mangrove Rangers are promoting awareness that, regardless of the right to develop, there is a huge need to preserve all of the Cayman Islands’ remaining mangrove habitat.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a globally renowned British-based non-profit organisation, has joined forces with Cayman’s local activists to raise awareness about the need to protect the mangroves here and challenge the government’s plans to push a road through the Central Mangrove Wetlands and a runway into the North Sound.
The local NPOs are urging everyone to sign the petition today and put democracy over destruction, as concern builds that the requisite environmental impact assessments will not be conducted before these destructive projects go ahead.
Mangroves are essential to a healthy future. As well as helping to protect us from storm surges, they provide a nursery for marine life, a habitat for a diverse range of birds and other creatures, and sequester significant amounts of carbon and even fuel more rain.
As the impact of climate change and a warming planet begins to take its toll, mangroves have a critical part to play in the mitigation of those negative impacts. Without them, the effects of the rising ocean, hotter, drier weather and the loss of biodiversity will make a bad situation worse.
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Category: Climate Change, Land Habitat, Science & Nature
There is a reason why it is called sustainable development.
People should have a right to develop their land, and government should have a right to offer guidance on development.
Should land be completely cleared for development? No.
There needs to be a balance on maintaining our plant and animal life and providing that opportunity.
In Florida, large developers have to engineer ‘conservation areas’ in their plans. This provides a habitat for natural flora and fauna and keeps lovely green areas. They also have to engineer swales and drainage basins to control flooding.
Too bad our Planning Department cannot be progressive in modifying their laws to also have these controls. All that has been done is to increase the height of new construction so that water now flows into existing properties.
Imagine if they had the foresight to do that during the Randyke Gardens construction.
No one is saying NO to development, but there has to be a balance to maintain the natural beauty of Cayman.
The last thing we want is a hot, flat, concrete landscape.
Stop the greed and the me, me, me attitude. Worry about the future of Cayman for generations to come.
As a Caymanian parent whose youngest child recently graduated with her Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and Policy from a Florida university, due to this I have grown to more than ever truly appreciate the makeup of Cayman’s environment and ecosystem. Most of Florida is made up of similar land and ecological resources. However, as a smaller geographical area even with all three islands placed together, we must truly learn to appreciate our ecosystem and the benefits and advantages of preserving much of it. We do not want to absolutely become like Florida or even some areas of Cayman. Where we are then forced to artificially insert what we think would benefit the ecosystem to help do what nature has already done. And depend on us to preserve that. We remove or destroy natural trees/plants, we fill in natural bodies of water only to turn around and replant other trees or other foliage, fake grass, paved over with bricks or turf, and create artificial bodies of water to beautify certain developments. It makes no sense–to me at least. Let’s preserve our natural environments. Build when we can build around it. We are very low laying.
I am a father of two children, an uncle to many nieces and nephews. Its is disappointing to read the mockery and the attitude displayed by many of our posters. The greed of our politicians that places self before country. We hear on the news of scorching record breaking heat world wide, droughts and fires, yet no one on these islands are taking the issue of global warming serious. There are consequences when common sense doesn’t take precedence. Its like when you are warned not to place your hand in a fire, you will get burn. Maybe not in my time, but my children, nieces and nephews will have to live through rising waters, catastrophic hurricanes and the lack of food just because we did not heed to caution. Tell me what good is it if you have all the money in the world and nowhere to spend it? I implore our government to seek alternatives to avoid further destruction to this island and to the overall planet. The bigger picture is, let us do our part as small as it may be in hopes that every nation will follow to help save this planet
Look out the window bobo. Cool and nice, seasonal rainfall, nothing to see.
It’s funny how it’s the same Hypocritical nasty mangrove destroyers pioneers in control of their pawns who foolishly believe they are incharge because they are receiving a few crumb$$$$ from their destruction mangroves eco system slush fund it’s too bad those who destroyed places like the South Sound and Safehaven shoreline mangroves can’t be held accountable for this destruction by naming and shaming them with a plaque .So their offspring and spawn can’t keep running around here spouting off about their million dollar status in society when they should be held in the utmost contempt for their continue destructive greediness.
Funny how the South Sound dwellers whose homes sit on what was once mangrove think they can tell others where they can or cannot build.
two wrongs do not make a right! Stop KILLING Mangroves
you big mad you cant destroy south sound like west bay
So how much land left undeveloped is not “wet land”? 2%? Everyone can understand the “I got mine so no one else can have theirs” attitude but really, why should they listen? Would you? Honest question. Think first. Then answer.
I didn’t buy land to preserve it, I bought it to develop it. Happy to sell my piece of swamp to the activists though, otherwise shut up and don’t dictate to people what they can do with their land.
Correct, fill all these crummy swamps up and get proper development going. We need the income. Hooray for CPA as they know how to do it!
Why did you buy mangrove wetland in the first place? Didn’t you have enough sense to realise it was critically important to the ecosystem and our very survival ? Or did you think you knew enough politicians and didn’t have to worry ? People like you are special ….trust me!
Because it was zoned residential
I ask again, why did you buy land in the middle of the central mangroves wetlands and ecologically significant area of the island! I’m not asking why you bought land with mangroves in it!
I bought land zoned by Caymanians for residential development. Where is your house if I may ask?
Wetland can be filled and if you live here, wherever you are, chances are it was probably filled and maybe mangroves were removed too.
Madness. Wetlands are natural drainage areas and mamgroves provide protection from storm surges.
Where exactly do the enablers, builders and owners think the flood waters will now go?
Whenever I hear people say ‘trust me’ it is as if they are trying to convince themselves!
Because it is now worth ten times what I paid for it and the ‘activists’ are welcome to buy it from me if they wish to preserve it.
All the government has to do is put laws in place where you can buy land but do nothing with it. I wonder why they haven’t done this?
Exactly I was just wondering the same thing.
I want to put a 1,000 story tower on my land, its not right there should be any restrictions on what we do with our own land.
Or maybe I can built an oil refinery on my land.
No restrictions is a great idea
Pretty stupid argument. Who said no restrictions? Did you know that land is zoned commercial, residential etc.? I should be able to build on my land what it is zoned for.
Please donate it to the National Trust so that it can be preserved.
Where the f@#K is Wayne Panton????
doing a cmr interview….zzzzzzzzzzzz
Under a rock, a huge rock hiding from reality! During his first campaign and time in office he seems to care about taking carE of our environment but he sure has departed from that and seem to have no interest in anything. Was he being real them, is this is real Wayne?
Deep sea fishing on his solar powered Hatteras?
April Fools??!
Yes we are!
What Mangroves?!?
I guess Honey Chile will be justifying mangrove destruction all the way to her bank account
I’m tired! All we are going to do it raise hell in the comments section a grin when the politicians come around with their handouts this Christmas. We get what we deserve, corrupt Government filled with idiots
Your government is rich. Just buy enough to save as a big eco park. Then stop agonizing over it all the time.
Let them eat mangroves
Chill Winston.
Generally.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/greening-of-the-earth-mitigates-surface-warming
Specifically.
This greening-induced cooling effect was twenty-five times stronger than the warming effect caused by tropical deforestation.
Lol! It’s a nice thought but when you look at the caliber of MLA and how prevalent greed is on the island, you know its a pointless discussion. That’s despite Wayne talking about sustainability but to be truthful, he probably thinks sustainability is reheating leftovers.
You see green yet of minster of planning and his greedy hoard sees black asphalt and white marl roads and grey structures and finally orange and purple and brown bank notes in his wallet and bank account.
I could arrange your prose into a haiku.
Bless you.
He is another one like the tourism minister who seem to be left to do whatever he chooses. The amount of asphalt that has been poured in Northside is unbelievable. Every nook and cranny has been blackened. It looks so gaudy!
There’s a phenomenal documentary Earth From Space everyone must watch. Especially those who believe they know it all. Especially school age children.
Everything on Planet Earth is interconnected. Mother Earth is very resilient, by design, as you’ll see, still its resilience is weakening.
The water temperature off the southern tip of Florida was a shocking 101 degrees for two days straight, which is the second highest observed temperature by metereologists.
Back in 2017, a Manatee Bay sensor picked up a 102 degree temperature in the bay.
Florida ocean temps surge to 100 degrees as mass coral bleaching event is found in some reefs
By Eric Zerkel, CNN
Updated 9:56 AM EDT, Wed July 26, 2023
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/25/us/florida-ocean-heat-coral-bleaching-climate/index.html
Mangroves must be protected without saying, by default so to speak.
Don’t forget about marine plastic contribution in th global warming/
The plastics on the surface trap sunlight and make the ocean’s surface get hot, blocking the light and heat from getting into the in-depth ocean. The sea, in turn, absorbs the heat emitted and causes the ocean temperatures to rise to lead to ocean warming.
Climate : how marine plastic waste contributes to global warming https://www.theseacleaners.org/news/climate-how-marine-plastic-waste-contributes-to-global-warming/
All that plastic in the ocean is a climate change problem, too https://grist.org/science/all-that-plastic-in-the-ocean-is-a-climate-change-problem-too/
The fundamental links between climate change and marine plastic pollution https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721054693
Not in jay Ebanks and Eric bush ministry not critical at all!
The Fed in the USA just raised interest rates another 25 points.
Cayman News Service should track how quickly the Cayman banks raise rates. Based on the past it will be tomorrow morning. While CNS should track how slowwwwwww the Cayman banks will raise term deposits. Based on the past they either won’t for this hike and maybe raise term deposit rates six months later a tiny tiny bit if the Fed raises another quarter point. Slimy weasels!
Blame CIMA who strictly regulate financial entities to prevent money laundering yet allow retail banks to commit daylight robbery on a daily basis.
Yes and low and behold Butterfield raised their mortgage rates 25 points bright and early this morning. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the term deposits to go up. It’s going to be a longggggg time that happens or perhaps it wouldn’t even happen
Too much concrete!
The new road is literally going along the edge of it, not through it.
Tired of traffic and the painful narrow two lane trail through BT that clogs up the second someone rear ends another, almost daily.
We need another route East besides that single lane. Build the road.
The NRA’s Terms of Reference on the East-West Arterial Extension (Sections 2 & 3) has a section that notes that a road being constructed in the usual manner, even along the edge of the Central Mangrove Wetlands, will limit or eliminate the hydrology of the area, which will have disastrous impacts on the CMW and thusly ourselves. Further, we activists are NOT against the road – we are for sustainable solutions to the traffic crisis. There are alternatives to the location of the road, where it is not even near the wetlands (one alternative has been gazetted – BP40), and sustainable alternatives to address the traffic crisis, such as reformed public transport, school buses for all schools, staggered working hours, etc. If a road is to be built near the CMW, look to Miami and Louisiana for great examples of how to construct a road above wetlands (or bayous) – the engineering exists and we can’t feign ignorance. Activists are asking for alternatives to be implemented first, and that, if the road is constructed, it be built above (not through) the wetlands.
Name a place where building more roads reduced traffic?
Greed is the root of all evil
i thought greed is good?
Lack of money is the root of all evil
Capitalism needs losers to make winners.