Young Caymanian activists protest for managed retreat
(CNS): A group of young Caymanian activists held the first of what is expected to be a series of protests on Sunday, launching a campaign calling for a managed retreat along Seven Mile Beach to save the rapidly disappearing famous stretch of coastline. Ahead of a meeting with government officials and stakeholders, including property owners, scheduled for this week, the young people took to the street to raise awareness about the extent of the damage to the beach and the need to act to save it.
The protest was staged at the entrance to the tunnel on West Bay Road by the derelict Royal Palms site, which is at the heart of the erosion problem that is rapidly accelerating northwards along the famous beach. Judging by the amount of support the small group of protesters received from passing motorists, the erosion problem is beginning to raise concerns well beyond the environmental activist community.
Rory McDonough, a long-time Caymanian environmental advocate and one of the protest’s organisers, told CNS that this was the start of a campaign to save Seven Mile Beach. He said it was “an expression of discontent” over how it has been allowed to be developed and the outcome of its mismanagement.
“We see the beach disappearing completely, with buildings falling in and being allowed to pollute the waters with no real action plan in place,” he said. He noted that some buildings had been allowed to crumble into the ocean “for years now”, but there has been no discussion about that. The authorities have failed to engage the private stakeholders over the reality and the need for managed retreat, “which is the next step for our country”, he said.
McDonough said he was concerned that the government doesn’t see the long-term reality, which will not be helped by seawalls that will make things worse in the future. He was also critical of the proposal to import sand from elsewhere.
“We talk about buying sand from somewhere else. Taking sand from someone else’s beach, I think, is indicative of the attitude that has got us into this situation in the first place and also indicative of how little we understand the problems we face and what the necessary long-term solutions are,” McDonough added.
He encouraged people to get involved and express themselves and urged young Caymanians to come out and join the protests. Given what was at stake, he said they would be focused on keeping this campaign rolling and circulating information as widely as possible.
The serious erosion of Seven Mile Beach began several years ago in the area around the Marriott Resort. Since then, properties to the north of the Marriot, as well as The Sovereign and adjacent condo complexes, have been impacted by more development on the dynamic beach, sea-level rise, increasing king tides and changing weather patterns that lead to more erratic and unseasonal storms, sea swells and heavy rain.
Even the beach at Lacovia, where the concrete structures have all been demolished with the start of a redevelopment project at the site, lost a significant amount of sand from its beach in the wake of the relatively benign weather systems that went on to become Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Mile after mile of Seven Mile Beach is being lost and many seawalls and other structures built on the dynamic beach are crumbling into the ocean. The Department of Environment has long advocated that a managed retreat is the only solution and that the owners of properties in this area need to rethink building more seawalls because even the most well-engineered will continue this domino impact.
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Category: development, Local News, Science & Nature
Weirdly if Kenny gets his cruise ports they would actually protect smb from the storms passing south of us. No need for managed retreat and Kenny get re-elected – win win.
One solution is to deny any sea wall permits. Either to build new ones or repair existing ones. Then, sit back and let Mother Nature take its course. We all will be surprised at how quickly she takes over.
How about “Bucket of Dirt/Sand Day” Protest by committing to dropping a bucket 🪣 of dirt/sand where the south Seven Mile Beach erosion is. Government should charge a 5% surcharge to those hotels and condos to pay for boulders and fresh sand to be dropped at their beach. Call it a stupid idea? Well how’s the sand at Sunset Cove doing… it still has beach with their boulders blocking the excretion of sand when a westward tropical storm 🌀 hits.
I am so proud to see CAYMANIANS trying to protect our environment. You have every right to stand up for you believe so don’t let the naysayers deter you! Seven Mile Beach is OUR NATIONAL TREASURE so we must fight to try to protect what is left of it!
While preserving your National treasure, clean up the Jamaican higgler garbage on the beach as well.
It’s just a shame it took a near hurtica e to take some of the beach before anyone decided to do anything and it’s a couple of kids at that. Shame Cayman. Dollars over everything right?
Huge respect for these young people, getting out there and telling the world their concerns.
That takes guts in a small place like Cayman.
Well done.
Lacovia didn’t lose any of its beach. When the westerly winds were blowing, water was lapping up higher, but when the westerly winds dissipated and went back to easterlies, the same beach depth was there.
I live next door and have over 10 years of pictures of that beachfront, and it looks no different today than it did previously.
So definitely hasnt affected this part of the beach yet.
A managed retreat ain’t happening. Too many people have too many dollars invested in this. Some will be happy to squeeze every last drop out of their apartment rental, whereas others will be interested in demolition and rebuild further back. Try getting agreement there! Meanwhile, mother nature is doing her own little thing, and she’s more powerful than even the CIREBA cartel.
Completely applaud and support these young people. Never let any naysayers detract you from your mission. Protest matters. You are protesting against a wealth machine, however if enough of the people exert their will alongside you, you will have made a difference. You are making a difference already. I will promote your view.
A managed retreat means returning to the standards that sentient people held decades ago — that building too close to the sea was dangerous for the structures, and injurious to the environment. This managed retreat can begin by not approving any planning approvals for new construction that is less than 100 meters (or whatever is decided) from the sea. NO seawalls.
Over time, as these structures that are much too close to the water begin to degrade, they should only be rebuilt — if at all – far away from the sea, much as our ancestors did. I just hope we have even a fragment of Seven Mile Beach left by then. As it is, I can’t see much more than Four miles, and those four miles of beach are MUCH closer to the structures.
Barge in sand and rebuild the beach back to 1990 levels. All the erosion did not happen in one year and the new sand will not disappear in one year. Accept that some sand will have to be brought in every year or so to maintain it. Put a room tax on all DOT accommodation rooms on the SMB corridor to pay for it. Change the planning codes for new construction. A managed retreat will likely take decades.
You need both. Without that agreement then just let those buildings keep tumbling.
There already is a room tax, and Dart was allowed to keep it!
So we take the center of Cayman Brac bluff land and turn it into usable fill for Grand Cayman.
How much we need to export over to you? A few hundred acres worth down about 50 feet over so?
Just a thought. And best yet – Government didn’t have to pay me for a consulting fee for this idea.
Sign me,
Export the Brac Bluff to Save SMB
You do know that Mervyn, Dervyn and Paul have essentially already done that, right?
The CPA chairman is involved with the Lacovia project so lets see what he proposes to fix the beach erosion issues their.
He will demand Government fix the beach for free so they can sell the high priced condos, which they probably will use our tax dollars to do it.
Isn’t Managed Retreat a Ben afflict and Jlo movie ??? Moving the buildings across the road sadly doesn’t work. It starts with sand……just like everywhere else in the world that is beachfront. Florida has been doing it since 1965, rum point was created. Yes seawalls are bad but the idea that we can just move the Marriot across the road. Move Laguna which was built in the late 80’s to where exactly ? The beach will be dynamic and yes more and more sand will be needed over time but this problem has a very simple solution and it isn’t just knocking down buildings
well what is your solution?
I am 100% for protecting and saving the beach. However, this idea of a “managed retreat” is both poorly defined and, as I think most people understand it, absolutely ludicrous.
Are you saying that you WANT to demolish these buildings and rebuild them further away from the beach instead of replenishing the beach?
The current estimated cost to replenish the beach is $30m. To demolish and rebuild ONE of those developments will be $30m or more. And what the hell is the point of retreating another 200-300 ft if the beach is going to continue to erode another 50 ft per year.
People advocating for a “managed retreat” had better define exactly what that means because otherwise it’s just a stupid buzzword.
The DOE has NOBODY on staff qualified to say that a managed retreat is the only option. Countless beaches ALL OVER THE WORLD use replenishment regularly to stay viable.
Absolute and utter stupidity, regurgitated by people who have no idea what they’re talking about.
Since you’re anonymous, how do we know that you are any more qualified than anyone else to opine in this? What’s your interest?
I think it’s clear they have some interest in SM Beach front property.
Who gives a crap who I am or what my qualifications are. I’m not driving our environmental policy and advocating for the demolition and reconstruction of billions of dollars of real estate.
What they need to be protesting is the gryone at TI. Why is it still there?
Why is TI still there, or the old Hyatt, or Royal Palms, or Cayman Islander…
Or the Glasshouse
Let the sea take it all back and the insurance companies pay them out. They should be fined $500 day for eroded wall laying in seven mile beach waters.
You mean the ones the DOE refuses to permit the removal of? Good luck.
A “group”? Hardly.
No matter where you stand on this or any other topic, it is so good to see our young people getting involved and working to make a difference for our country’s future.
“piss poor” lmao – love it
spot on description of this shambolic administration. and local mla’s generally.
Why pays for it? What government is going to take on such a hot potato?
what is a managed retreat?
if, as suspected, the issue stems from climate change…how do we stop that?
yo, you dont understand what a managed retreat is? it speaks for itself if you ask me. Their walls are too close to the sea! therefore when we get the wave from the climate change the waves crash into their walls causing the back flow motion and eroding the beach. so managed retreat is pulling back all the walls and buildings away from the beach and allowing room for the waves and sand to NATUALLY settle and flow.
pull back buildings from the beach??…good luck with that.
what about rising sea levels?
Mash um all down.
It’s not from climate change, it’s from building walls too close to the beach. The sea level rise is likely in the 12″-20″ range per 100 years (which is actually a bigger problem than it may sound). But, whilst a problem, that is a red herring in this context. The sad thing is planning permission was being given out for construction too close to the sea long after the problem was identified.
you can point to no sea wall constructed and any impact of beach erosion…. 90% of sea walls have been there for 30 years but yet somehow they have caused beach erosion in the last 5 years???
Yes, because it was gradual. If it’s climate change how come the climate change only affects the part of the beach where the sea walls are?
Funniest part is, you don’t even know where all the sea walls are.
Absolutely false. You’d know that if you’d been here more than 10 minutes.
The CPA only can approve according to the Jurassic law that is 27 years old and no longer fit for purpose. Until the law is changed and to incorporate the NCC and DOE in the decision process (have more teeth), nothing is going to change, Remember, this law was created before the NCC and the new Constitution was enacted, so it is of great emergency that the law is changed, like yesterday.
Mangroves.
Managed retreat is a fallacy. A myth perpetuated by the DOE. Until they move on and are willing to collaborate on real solutions, nothing will happen.
#soitgo
By banning plastic straws.
My understanding is it would be gradual demolition of buildings at risk of falling into the sea
So a non-starter then. Great “solution “.
Managed Retreat – Pull the buildings back from the danger area (in this case where the water is coming closer to and now undercutting the buildings/walls/etc.). It is a recognition that, as you say, we can’t stop climate change so we have to adapt to it.
Pull the buildings back – a) no more permits to build that close to the threat (sea), and (b) as buildings become impacted they are not allowed to renovate but required to tear down and not rebuild on the old footprint but further back (managed retreat). Of course this may render some parcels unbuildable. But there are no easy cost-free solutions for climate change adaptation. (And without arguing over how much of this is climate change, ‘natural erosion’, & previous bad development decisions; none of which have easy solutions now.)
The idea started with clearer situations like houses atop crumbling cliffs where clearly ‘managed retreat’ was the only logical option. You couldn’t rebuild the cliff, or build in the air, no matter where your boundary line or the neighbor’s house/wall was built 40 years ago. Now it is asked of flood plains where every decade the river jumps its banks and floods the floodplain. If the flood defenses can’t hold (society can’t afford the money to build them so massive that they hold) then do you stop people building there?
Bringing us to beaches. Where the same socioeconomic calculus continues. And where (for us) the solution is possibly some combination of managed retreat, sand replacement, and small groins/structures to help hold the replaced sand in place longer (nothing is permanent on a beach; if this is not designed by an experienced coastal engineer its going to be another waste of money like all of Marriott’s other boondoggles on their coast). But if the buildings retreat say 100 yards and then 100 yards of sand is added on the sea side that 200 yard wide beach may buy you a beach that is stable over decades (lose/gain 50 yards every year depending on the storms). Or it may be too expensive. Someone (Government) simply has to crunch the numbers before they can make the decision. (Of where the money will come from what the social benefits are, etc.)
And if you think the decision in this area is complicated wait until you get to other parts of our coast where there is no clear social benefit to replacing the sand, and the insurance companies stop ensuring (none insures against a flood every 10 years, be it from a river or a hurricane) and so ‘managed retreat’ is forced by the economic decisions and not managed by the Government.