Science & Nature
Fish in quiet waters increased threefold during lockdown
(CNS): When compared to data from 2018, there was a significant increase in reef fish biomass in the waters off Grand Cayman during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to research published in the scientific journal Nature Scientific Reports. Researchers from the Central Caribbean Marine Institute found that fish in and around the George Town Harbour increased […]
DoE director continues to fight misinformation
(CNS): The director of the Department of Environment is continuing to correct misinformed critics of the DoE and the National Conservation Council who accuse them of delaying development. Gina Ebanks-Petrie has said, again, that the issues relating to planning delays are a result of the Central Planning Authority’s inaccurate interpretation of the National Conservation Law […]
Colourful African lizard poses new threat to natives
(CNS): The Department of Environment is issuing an alert over the first recorded sighting of a red-headed rock agama (Agama agama) on Grand Cayman. The small invasive lizard, which is a native of sub-Saharan Africa, was spotted last Thursday in the industrial centre of George Town, next to the container yard where international shipments have […]
Beachgoers warned to watch out for toxic man-o’-war
(CNS): The Department of Environment is warning people that it has received a number of reports of Portuguese man-o’-wars (Physalia physalis) washing up on South Sound beaches as a result of the recent weather conditions. The highly toxic siphonophores, which are not jellyfish but complex colonies of organisms, should never be touched.
CCMI partners with bank in blue carbon off-set scheme
(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is collaborating with Butterfield Bank to find out how a carbon offset and ecosystem-based restoration scheme can be put into practice in the Cayman Islands to mitigate climate change. The negative effects of the increasing temperatures and other changes are becoming more visible, especially in vulnerable habitats like […]
2023 confirmed as Cayman’s hottest year on record
(CNS): The Cayman Islands, like many countries around the world, endured its hottest year on record in 2023, the CI National Weather Service has confirmed. According to the data gathered at the Owen Roberts International Airport, Grand Cayman, last year, the annual average land temperature was 84°F, the highest average on record. The previous highest […]
Flamingo becomes local social media star
(CNS): A stunning American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) that stopped by the Malportas Pond in North Side over the holiday weekend, probably blown off course by the recent weather, has become a social media hit with local photographers. The Department of Environment said flamingos are casual visitors to the Cayman Islands. The last sighting of this […]
2023 was the hottest year ever recorded worldwide
(CNS): Following predictions over the last few months that 2023 would be the world’s hottest year ever recorded after two decades of escalating temperatures, scientists say that last year may have been the warmest in 125,000 years. While the official data for last month has not been calculated, the results were already locked in by […]
MPs use fund to pay for DoE’s general budget
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government is disputing allegations it raided the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), which is paid for by fees collected from tourists and ringfenced for conservation, to fund part of the Department of Environment’s general operating budget over the next two years. Despite the denial, MPs did vote to use the fund in […]
CCMI reveals biodiversity of 12-Mile Bank reefs
(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s (CCMI) Expedition Hope has collected a wide range of data to describe the benthos and biodiversity of the previously unexplored seamount, 12-Mile Bank. CCMI secured a grant from the UK Government’s Darwin Plus Programme and is working with project partners the Department of Environment, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, […]
NRA’s hydro reports hold up EIA for EWA highway
(CNS): A critical report that will inform the design of the controversial East-West Arterial extension is the only thing holding up the environmental impact assessment for the road. Despite accusations from Cabinet members, including the minister responsible for roads, that the Department of Environment and the need for a full EIA were delaying the start […]
