Land Habitat
Blue iguana stows away to George Town
(CNS): Members of the public were quick to spot that an iguana wandering around a parking lot in the industrial area of George Town was not a member of the invasive greens but one of Cayman’s rare and iconic blues. Surprised to see the animal so far from its usual habitat, they called the Department […]
CPA sticks by NCC order over turtle lights
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority has said it is obligated to follow a National Conservation Council direction to find that a condition of planning approval for turtle-friendly lighting at a proposed luxury beachfront house in Rum Point had not been met. During its meeting last week, the CPA said the recent court ruling meant they […]
Activists launch wetlands campaign in face of EWA
(CNS): Sustainable Cayman, which became an official registered non-profit organisation just three months ago, has begun a new coordinated campaign to protect the Cayman Islands Central Mangrove Wetlands and raise awareness about the socio-ecological importance of this ecosystem and the threat to it posed by the extension of the East-West Arterial Road (EWA). The activists […]
Ruling hasn’t changed developer-tipped scale
(CNS): The court ruling in the judicial review of the dispute between the National Conservation Council and the Central Planning Authority has not altered the balance between development and conservation in favour of the environment. Despite inaccurate claims being made by some developers, the judgment has only confirmed the NCC’s existing powers to make orders […]
National Trust secures CI$421K grant for wildlife research
(CNS): The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has been awarded over CI$421,000 in Darwin Plus R10 funding for a three-year project on Grand Cayman. The research work, in partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), is to preserve endemic threatened wildlife populations through effective protected area management. The sizeable grant […]
Court confirms NCC powers in Boggy Sand case
(CNS): The National Conservation Council does have the power to direct government bodies when their actions could have an adverse effect on protected areas or species, the Grand Court found in the long-awaited ruling in the ‘Boggy Sand’ judicial review, which was released Tuesday. The judge also found that the NCC can delegate that power […]
Panton ‘steps on toes’ over mangrove development
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton will not support development in the Central Mangrove Wetlands, he stated on Friday in the wake of comments made by two Cabinet colleagues that building the East-West Arterial extension would offer opportunities for lower-cost homes in the interior. Deputy Premier Chris Saunders and Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan publicly backed the idea […]
Ministers back development in central wetlands
(CNS): Deputy Premier Chris Saunders and Transport Minister Kenneth Bryan have thrown their support behind the development opportunity that the East-West Arterial Road extension will facilitate once it’s extended to Frank Sound. Even though this means developing in the Central Mangrove Wetlands, the ministers backed the construction of homes there and told Caymanian owners in […]
Dart pledges to conserve land as it develops
(CNS): Cayman’s largest landowner has made a pledge to conserve one acre of natural habitat for every acre it develops in the future. The Dart Group, which is responsible for a significant amount of development on Grand Cayman, has also said it will not begin any new projects until the government completes the revised National […]
Plan proposed to protect nesting seabirds
(CNS): The National Conservation Council has issued a draft Seabird Conservation Plan for public consultation to protect six of Cayman’s vanishing colonial nesting seabirds. Department of Environment (DoE) Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie has warned that some of the Cayman Islands’ most recognisable birds could be lost due to habitat loss, coastal development and invasive species unless […]
Road plan poses further threat to pristine habitat
(CNS): The National Conservation Council has confirmed that the extension of a farm road in North Side will need an environmental impact assessment as the proposed route would take it through some of Cayman’s most pristine remaining forest land. Flying in the face of the PACT Government’s policy of limiting development in untouched habitat, the […]
