Land Habitat
Premier offers mixed message on changes to NCA
(CNS): Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly stated at a press briefing on Friday that the UPM Government is not going to remove the scientists from the National Conservation Council and will not weaken the National Conservation Act in any way. However, she also said that changes will be made to the legislation, and an amendment bill is […]
NCC corrects false narrative on DoE director’s power
(CNS): The National Conservation Council has refuted false claims and misinformation being circulated on social media that incorrectly suggest the director of the Department of Environment has unprecedented powers under the National Conservation Act (NCA) that elevates the post-holder above Cabinet and enables whoever holds the job to make decisions without accountability.
Mac spreads misinformation about conservation law
(CNS): Last week, McKeeva Bush MP (WBW) became the first person in the UPM government to admit that it is trying to amend the National Conservation Act to make development easier, but the veteran MP was peddling misinformation and a false narrative as he did so. Appearing on Radio Cayman’s lunchtime talk show, Talk-Today, Bush […]
Invasive red-headed African lizard spotted in GT
(CNS): An invasive red-headed rock Agama was spotted in George Town on Wednesday, and the Department of Environment is urging people to call in any further sightings to help prevent what could be another invasive reptile threatening Cayman’s endemic lizards and iguanas. One of these animals was first spotted here in January, a long way […]
National Trust issues warning about gutting NCA
(CNS): The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is the latest organisation to issue a warning about the government’s plans to gut the National Conservation Act to essentially make development of all kinds even easier than it already is. In a statement issued on behalf of the Trust board and staff in response to the […]
Gutting the NCC is gutting the NCA through the backdoor
#DontPaveParadise writes: For the past month or so, there have been numerous news articles, social posts and widely circulated electronic messages that suggest that the UPM Government is going to bring amendments to the National Conservation Act (NCA) or, without bringing the matter to Parliament, summarily alter Schedule 2 of that Act, which deals with […]
Gutting the NCA: Why no consultation?
Wayne Panton MP writes: It appears the UPM government is determined to undermine the National Conservation Act (NCA), Cayman’s most important piece of environmental legislation. What’s more, the government intends to gut the NCA with no mandate to do so by the people of these islands and, in fact, without any public consultation whatsoever. Why […]
New eco-activists launch petition to save NCA
(CNS): Following news reported on CNS this week that the UPM government is in the process of trying to gut the National Conservation Act, local environmentalists have expressed deep concerns. Efforts are underway to rally public support to stop any attempts to undermine this critical legislation, including the launch of a petition. Sustainable Cayman and […]
‘Absurd’ attack on NCA a ‘corrupt initiative’ says Panton
(CNS): Former premier Wayne Panton MP (NEW) has accused the developer lobby of a “corrupt initiative” to influence the UPM into amending the National Conservation Act to allow them free rein. In a scathing attack on his former colleagues, Panton has said the same agenda that drove him from Cabinet is driving the “absurd attack” […]
UPM aiming to gut National Conservation Act
(CNS): The UPM government has been holding a series of closed-door meetings in recent weeks, CNS has learned, in an effort to make worrying changes to the National Conservation Law to remove the already limited powers it provides to protect the environment. The UPM wants the requirement for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for government projects […]
NCC wants input on protecting rare flowering herb
(CNS): Cayman Sage (Salvia caymanensis), a flowering herb native exclusively to Grand Cayman, was thought to have become extinct until it was rediscovered growing in the road verge on the Queen’s Highway in 2007. Now, because of its precarious existence, the National Conservation Council has begun a public consultation on a proposed species conservation plan […]
