Land Habitat
Just two public meetings set to discuss EWA extension
(CNS): The National Conservation Council is expected to publish the completed draft terms of reference (ToR) for an environmental impact assessment of the controversial East-West Arterial Road extension on Monday. The ToR will form the subject of a public consultation process lasting 21 days that includes, so far, only two public meetings, one in North […]
We are scientists
The Cayman Islands Department of Environment writes: We are tasked with protecting first and foremost the plants and animals which belong to the Cayman Islands. We have researchers and scientists from various fields of study who work with and assist us in finding out what is happening in our lands and beaches, forests and cliffs, […]
Invasive species: The Rest of the Story
A Cayman Bracker writes: Of late, cats have become the convenient fall guys for the dangerous decline in the booby bird population on Cayman Brac. But we of the island who possess knowledge of the history of the island know better. The most significant threat to the birds’ survival comes from the activities of another […]
Feral cat cull underway near booby bird nests on Brac
(CNS): In response to the number of brown booby birds that have been killed recently on the southwest shoreline of Cayman Brac, the feral cat and rodent cull that began last week around the Lighthouse area on the Bluff in the eastern end of the island will be expanded to include this high-density pocket of […]
Mangrove education gets €295k cash boost
(CNS): As more and more of the mangrove habitat across the Cayman Islands falls victim to the bulldozer, the Mangrove Education Project received a grant of €295,000 at the end of last year, which will help the long-running project expand and complete its new local school curriculum, the Cayman Islands Coastal Education Guide (CEG), which […]
More brown booby birds killed on Cayman Brac
(CNS): The bodies of two brown booby adults and one chick were found on Cayman Brac last weekend and were likely killed by cats, according to the Department of Environment. The news comes on the heels of a report last week outlining the grim circumstances of the brown booby colony on the island. During the […]
Invasive, poisonous tree found in Newlands
(CNS): A cluster of Brazilian peppertrees (Schinus terebinthifolia), a poisonous and highly invasive South American plant, has been found in Newlands. Also known as the Brazilian pepper, aroeira, rose pepper, Christmas berry or Florida holly, it is a member of the poison oak and ivy family that found its way to the Cayman Islands in […]
Future ‘grim’ for brown booby, DoE warns
(CNS): Survey results of the 2022 nesting season for Cayman Brac’s brown booby colony are grim, the Department of Environment has warned after finding a staggering 70% of the eggs laid by the nesting pairs last year were lost. Of the 42 eggs identified during the season, only 13 fledged successfully. Many of the eggs […]
7MB pressure grows as hotel buses guests north
(CNS): Seven Mile Beach is coming under even more pressure as the impact of erosion and the lack of access begins to bite. This holiday season the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort has been transporting guests by minibus to a stretch of the beach owned by the Dart Group, north of the Kimpton Seafire Resort, […]
Consultation shows surge in public support for conservation
(CNS): The recent nomination process for protected areas represented “a whole new level of public interest” in the conservation of Cayman’s natural habitat, according to Fred Burton, manager of the Department of Environment (DoE) Terrestrial Resources Unit. He said that there were 89 nominations to protect dozens of locations on all three islands, which is […]
New rules rolled out to control alien species
(CNS): New regulations have been approved by Cabinet to protect native and endemic plants and animals under the National Conservation Act. The National Conservation (Alien Species) Regulations introduce a prohibited species list, outline the distinctions between domestic and feral animals and define permitted procedures and actions to control feral animals and other alien species, reducing […]
