Tag: Department of Environment
Cullers bag over 850,000 greens
(CNS): The nationwide cull aimed at making a very serious dent in the invasive green iguana population has seen more than 850,000 carcasses taken to the dump since the project began some ten months ago. Despite a surge in cull numbers through May and June, with around 222,000 iguanas killed over those two months, wet […]
Turtle shell found in dumpster
(CNS): The shell of an adult green sea turtle was found in a dumpster at the weekend, which officials said appeared to be the remains from another poaching incident. The shell measured 106cm (41.7in) and likely belonged to a 300-400 pound turtle and a once valuable member of the critically endangered wild population. The discovery […]
DoE seeks support for turtle plan
(CNS): Following the release last month of the Cayman Islands National Conservation Council’s draft sea turtle species conservation plan, the Department of Environment is encouraging the community to take part in the public consultation. The NCL has launched an online survey to make it easier for people to offer support and comments for the plan […]
DoE defends conservation law
(CNS): The public is being urged to learn about and understand the National Conservation Law so that they can properly contribute to the current review and make the most of the law itself, which also provides for considerable public input in various areas. Taking to the radio waves last week, officials from the Department of […]
Development poses growing threat to parrots
(CNS): The continued clearing of land for development in the Cayman Islands is posing an increasing threat to its endemic parrots. Adding to the problem of poaching, the ongoing impact on the National Birds’ habitat is making them less resilient, according to the Department of Environment. With the hurricane season now underway, a major storm […]
Cullers bag over 800k greens
(CNS): A whopping 803,446 green iguanas have now been killed since the culling programme began at the end of October last year. The latest statistics, which were posted on the Department of Environment’s website this weekend, reveals that in June alone over 112,000 greens were bagged and taken to the dump, the largest haul in […]
Turtle found tangled in line and net
(CNS): A large juvenile loggerhead turtle has been put down after it was found in the Barkers area entangled in fishing line and a cargo net yesterday, the Department of Environment has reported on its social media pages. The near two-foot-long rare turtle sustained two fin injuries so severe it had to be euthanised. The […]
Turtle conservation may stop CTC releases
(CNS): The Cayman Turtle Centre’s release of yearlings into the wild and more recently the eggs placed on beaches around Grand Cayman may be stopped under a species conservation plan for all turtles, which is now under public consultation, unless the CTC allows an independent verification of its standards and protocols. Department of Environment Director […]
DoE reminds public of lost wetlands
(CNS): At the request of a number of people who attended a recent meeting hosted by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, the Department of Environment will be publishing comparative maps showing how much important natural habitat, such as wetlands and mangroves, has been lost on Grand Cayman over the last four decades. As […]
Plan in works to tackle Sargassum long-term
(CNS): With an abundance of sargassum seaweed currently in the local waters, which is washing up and piling several feet high on Cayman’s beaches, Joey Hew, the minister responsible for the Recreation, Parks and Cemeteries Unit, has said that a long-term plan is being shaped to tackle the increasing problem. He also revealed that equipment […]
Protection, changing culture sees sharks flourish
(CNS): Shark numbers are now higher in Cayman Islands’ waters than in many other Caribbean islands, research data has revealed, as a result of conservation measures and a shift in attitude towards these critically important reef predators. Although there is still some way to go to ensure that they flourish, local shark populations have benefitted […]
