Land Habitat
Sahara dust and mozzie surge add to 2020 trouble
(CNS): Earthquakes, dump fires, a pandemic, and now a dust cloud from the Sahara Desert and a surge in mosquitoes are combining to make 2020 a pretty miserable year. While the dust plume stretching across the Caribbean will produce some pretty sunsets, it will also make life uncomfortable for those with respiratory problems. Meanwhile, a […]
Cops lend hand in protecting turtles
(CNS): Unable to call on their usual army of some 70 volunteers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Environment has enlisted the help of the RCIPS to monitor turtle nesting sites this season, which began at the beginning of last month. Some exemptions were granted for DoE staff to monitor beaches but crews […]
NCC and DoE urge move to green economy
(CNS): As Cayman emerges from the social and economic shutdown in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, local environmental experts are urging government to make it a “truly sustainable economic recovery” and use this opportunity to reset. Cayman needs to turn away from traffic-gridlock, over development and mass tourism towards climate-sensitive and resilient systems, according […]
Anti-plastic campaign persists under lockdown
(CNS): Plastic Free Cayman has continued its campaign to rid Cayman of unnecessary plastic throughout the shelter-in-place curfew using technology to organise virtual events. Despite the challenges, the group wants to keep reminding people of the dangers of plastic and recently successfully hosted a free screening of a new full-length documentary, The Story of Plastic, […]
Reduced army of cullers reining back iguanas
(CNS): Measures taken by government to curb the spread of COVID-19 put the nationwide green iguana cull on hold for several weeks, just as the pesky reptile moved into its breeding season. With exemptions now in place for the consultants managing the cull and around 50 top cullers, war on this invasive species has restarted. […]
Mangrove protection official
(CNS): Cayman’s mangroves now have official legal protection, which should, finally, prevent these dwindling yet critically important species from being removed by developers without consequence. On Monday, the National Conservation Council gazetted the adoption of a Species Conservation Plan, which formalises mangrove protection in law and outlines the very strict conditions under which they can […]
Earth Day activities confined to yards
(CNS): Earth Day activities in Cayman this year will be restricted to people’s yards, and the start of a regional mass tree planting campaign will be confined to preparing seedlings and compost ready for when the curfews are lifted. But the first silver lining to come from the COVID-19 pandemic is the breather it has […]
CPA clears developer over mangrove destruction
(CNS): Planning officials have confirmed that on Wednesday the Central Planning Authority approved an after-the-fact application by a developer for the removal of mangroves from an important drainage area in Prospect, which has already been done illegally. Despite recommendations from the Department of Environment to refuse, the CPA opted to allow the clearance, with the […]
Expert issues warning about rock iguanas
(CNS): Fred Burton, manager of the Department of Environment Terrestrial Resources Unit who was fundamental in bringing Grand Cayman’s endemic blue iguana back from the brink of extinction, is warning that the Cayman Islands needs to act now to save the Sister Islands rock iguana on Little Cayman before it, too, faces extinction. A recent […]
Sister Island iguana in worrying decline
(CNS): A survey on Little Cayman of Sister Islands Rock Iguanas (Cyclura nubila caymanensis) has shown that the species is in serious trouble as a result of cats and cars as well as habitat loss. While this iguana is already listed as critically endangered, the latest count revealed a further unsustainable decline due to the […]
Airport wildlife transferred to new ponds
(CNS): Dozens of birds and animals living in and around the ponds on the airfield at Owen Roberts International Airport have been relocated to new homes, officials have said. The Cayman Islands Airports Authority is due to start work on filling the ponds as part of the project to improve the airport’s apron, runway and […]
