Land Habitat
Quarry posing threat to wildlife pond will need EIA
(CNS): The National Conservation Council has confirmed that an environmental impact assessment will be required for a quarry application made by Krock Limited because it poses a threat to the protected area of Meagre Bay Pond in Bodden Town. Department of Environment (DoE) Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie said that a much better understanding of the terrestrial […]
Turtle nests in Cayman reach decade high
(CNS): The Department of Environment recorded more turtle nests in 2022 than any single year over the last decade. A total of 858 nest were counted, 169 more than the previous high in 2017, when there were 689 nests. The increase resulted from a steep rise in the number of green turtle nests, which topped […]
Activists step up campaign to save Central Wetlands
(CNS): Sustainable Cayman is raising the alarm over the direct threat to the Central Mangrove Wetlands from the proposed East-West Arterial Road extension, given that only around a quarter of the area is considered protected. The planned expansion of the road from Bodden Town to Frank Sound will directly impact 174 acres of this unique […]
Critically endangered plant protection approved
(CNS): Cabinet has approved a species protection plan for the critically endangered Aegiphila caymanensis, an endemic plant that is unique to Grand Cayman, now only found in three known locations across the island with just fourteen confirmed surviving specimens. Also known as the spirit vine, it is a woody, clambering shrub with soft, downy leaves […]
$2M EIA contract awarded to US engineers
(CNS): A US engineering company, Whitman, Requardt & Associates LLP based in Maryland, has won the contract to conduct the environmental impact assessment for the controversial part of the East-West Arterial Extension from Woodland Drive in Bodden Town, through the critical Central Mangrove Wetlands, to Frank Sound in North Side.
Activists warn of growing microplastic risk
(CNS): Young local environmental activists from Protect Our Future and Plastic Free Cayman teamed up last weekend for another beach clean-up and collected almost 300lbs of trash from Smith Cove. Noting that the bulk of the debris was plastic and microplastics and that much of it is now becoming micro-environments for various species, the groups […]
Caribbean is world’s worst region for diversity loss
(CNS): The Caribbean and Latin America Region has seen a decline in animal and fish populations of 94% over the last 50 years, according to an analysis of bio-diversity by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) published Thursday in the Living Planet Report 2022. The world has seen a devastating drop of over 69% but this […]
Brown boobies could disappear from the Brac
(CNS): The colony of brown boobies on Cayman Brac is declining and could disappear altogether if they are not protected. These striking seabirds, which are declining in numbers worldwide, are found across the region but only on the Brac in the Cayman Islands. They are among the bird species under threat locally and included in […]
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 […]
