Land Habitat
NCFC ends legal battle, appoints new NCC
(CNS): The National Coalition for Caymanians has revoked the previous controversial appointments to the National Conservation Council made by the former UPM minority government earlier this year. The new government has appointed a new slate of members, which includes scientists and technical experts, putting an end to the legal battle between the old members who […]
Endangered rock iguana bounces back after cat cull
(CNS): The endangered Sister Islands Rock Iguana, which has been in steep decline for years, is making an impressive comeback on Little Cayman after the apparent success of a feral cat cull. According to the Department of Environment’s latest survey undertaken in March, the iguana population on the island has more than tripled in three […]
We are nurtured by nature
The Department of Environment writes: As the tops of a deep-sea, underwater mountain range, the Cayman Islands evolved in isolation for millions of years. As animals and plants found their way across the sea to our shores, they brought new life to the land, which over time developed many unique and biodiverse ecosystems. As humans […]
Court stays NCC decisions until full hearing
(CNS): The minority UPM government’s controversial attempt to politicise the National Conservation Council and upend its legal apolitical remit, which is to make evidence and science-based decisions to protect Cayman’s environment, was stalled by the court on Tuesday. Justice Marlene Carter has ordered that the new NCC must not make any decisions until the court […]
Court considers stay on removal of NCC scientists
(CNS): A grand court judge is expected to make a decision tomorrow on whether or not the technical experts and scientists on the National Conservation Council who were fired by Cabinet will be able to keep their positions until a legal argument over the legality of that mass sacking is resolved. Stuart Mailer and Patricia […]
National Trust asks the public to help direct its work
(CNS): The National Trust for the Cayman Islands (NTCI) has launched an online survey to better understand which environmental and conservation issues matter most to the community and where it should focus its work. Development and climate change are increasing the pressure on Cayman’s natural resources, but while the Trust currently protects 3,571 acres at […]
DoE promotes need for science in managing environment
(CNS): The three Cayman Islands have the largest remaining active Nassau grouper spawning aggregation site in the region. They also have an increasing nesting population of wild sea turtles and have brought the iconic blue iguana back from the brink of extinction. All of this and more has been achieved because of science-based decisions.
Ministry plants 710 trees as 100s more lost to development
(CNS): The sustainability ministry has planted 710 native and endemic trees on the grounds of government primary schools and public spaces across the islands since the National Tree Planting Programme started three years ago. But over the same period, hundreds more trees have been lost to development, including mature trees that have been cleared from […]
Premier misleads public over purchase of Brac beach
(CNS): Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly misled the public last week when she told parliament that the Department of Environment had objected to the Cayman Islands Government using the Environmental Protection Fund to purchase Long Beach on Cayman Brac. The DoE is seeking a correction to the record as it has repeatedly advocated on behalf of the […]
NCC scientist asks where balance is in NCA changes
(CNS): The balance between development and the need to protect the environment will be impossible to achieve if the proposed amendments to the National Conservation Act pass, according to a member of the National Conservation Council appointed for her scientific expertise. Lisa-Ann Hurlston-McKenzie, a sustainability and climate professional, has asked where that balance will come […]
CCMI alarmed by UPM attack on conservation
(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute, a non-profit conservation and research facility on Little Cayman, has said the proposed changes to the National Conservation Act could have “catastrophic and destructive implications for the environment”. CCMI said in a release that the amendment bill paves the way for Cabinet “to make irresponsible decisions regarding environmental health […]
