Science & Nature
Study will fill data gap on endangered local sharks
(CNS): The Department of Environment (DoE) has secured UK funding for pop-off satellite archival tags to study the movements of Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) in the ocean around the Cayman Islands. Due to their ecological and socio-economic significance to Cayman, all sharks are protected species and are now considered endangered.
Permits waived for owners to clean up 7MB debris
(CNS): The Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency (MSCR) has announced that due to erosion and “other storm-related impacts” that affected the southern end of Seven Mile Beach this month, owners do not need a coastal works permit to clean up their property. A combination of over-development, sea-level rise and the unusual storms in our […]
Minister says ignoring DoE advice has led to devastation
(CNS): In a post on her social media pages, Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks recognised that developers’ failure to heed science-based advice from the Department of Environment and the National Conservation Council has had a devastating impact on the Cayman Islands’ environment and economy.
Power conference opens with regulatory meeting
(CNS): The Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) and Caribbean Utilities Corporation (CUC) are hosting the annual CARILEC Resilient Energy Community (CAREC) Conference in the Cayman Islands this week. Over 120 members of the energy sector, including industry experts, government officials, regulators, renewable energy innovators, and stakeholders from the Caribbean, will meet under the theme […]
Lawyer argues review of CPA action in blues case is critical
(CNS): The lawyer representing the National Conservation Council, Chris Buttler KC, argued that the court needs to review the actions of the Central Planning Authority in the wake of unlawful land clearing of pristine habitat in blue iguana territory in East End. Buttler said the case is far more than an academic legal exercise. Until […]
NCC and CPA in court over unlawful road in blues territory
(CNS): Questions over whether or not the Central Planning Authority legally cancelled unlawful after-the-fact planning permission granted for a road in East End that cut through critical blue iguana habitat were argued in court Wednesday. The National Conservation Council continues to battle with planning officials and the repeated failure to follow the law and consult […]
Young Caymanian activists protest for managed retreat
(CNS): A group of young Caymanian activists held the first of what is expected to be a series of protests on Sunday, launching a campaign calling for a managed retreat along Seven Mile Beach to save the rapidly disappearing famous stretch of coastline. Ahead of a meeting with government officials and stakeholders, including property owners, […]
CIG to discuss worsening erosion crisis on 7MB
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has finally released a statement on the erosion of Seven Mile Beach, which Climate Resiliency Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks called “an urgent national matter” but which many people are calling a national crisis. In a press release issued Thursday evening, she said the CIG was keen to find a sustainable solution. […]
Climate policy officially adopted by government
(CNS): Climate Resiliency Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks presented the long-awaited climate policy to parliament Wednesday. The document outlines a 26-year plan for the adaptation and mitigation measures necessary for the Cayman Islands to become climate-resilient.
Milton churns up Cayman seas, worsening erosion
(CNS): Although Hurricane Milton was hundreds of miles from the Cayman Islands throughout Wednesday, it still caused very rough seas on the west coast of Grand Cayman as it moved across the Gulf of Mexico. Large waves crashed along the harbour in George Town and all along Seven Mile Beach, compounding the beach erosion problems, […]
CAL adds evacuation flight as Milton heads to Florida
(CNS): As Hurricane Milton heads towards the west coast of the Florida Peninsular, with landfall expected to begin Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, Cayman Airways has added an evacuation flight this evening, Monday 7 October, to assist the Cayman Islands Government with evacuating Caymanian students studying in Tampa and Cayman residents visiting Tampa who […]
