Tag: Department of Environment
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 […]
Conch survey underway to check state of population
(CNS): The Department of Environment has begun its annual survey of the conch population in local waters. Each year, a survey team monitors around one hundred different 24-square-metre sites in various locations where conchs are counted and measured. The data collected is then used to assess the current state of the population. John Bothwell, a […]
Terms for conservation law review under wraps
(CNS): The new committee formed to review the National Conservation Law, after government expressed ‘concerns’ that the legislation is hampering development, met for the first time last week behind closed doors. Government officials said that the committee, comprising around two dozen people and chaired by the premier, will be engaging with the public, though CNS […]
Seven sharks killed or injured in local waters
(CNS): Over the last few months four sharks have been found dead in Cayman Islands waters and another three badly injured. Researchers at the Department of Environment believe an increase in the appearance of the marine predators in local waters is leading to more encounters between them and fishermen. The DoE research team, Shark Conservation […]
Frigates study to help define need for protection
(CNS): Cayman is taking part in an important new study tracking magnificent frigatebirds, some of the Caribbean’s most important avian predators, which will help define what areas here and in the region may need to be protected. Department of Environment (DoE) Terrestrial Resources Unit Research Officer Jane Haakonsson and two PhD students have placed tracking […]
First turtle nest marks start of season
(CNS): Local turtles are off to an early start for this summer’s breeding season, with the first nest of the year already having been recorded by the Department of Environment’s team on a beach along Grand Cayman’s south coast. From now until at least November turtles will be nesting and hatching on local beaches and […]
Marine protection plan gets nod ten years on
(CNS): More than ten years after the Department of Environment began a scientific survey that helped outline what expansion to the existing marine parks would be needed to protect Cayman’s resources into the future, Cabinet has finally given the green light for the necessary regulations to make it a reality. The DoE submitted its final […]
500,000 iguanas culled but more hands needed
(CNS): Although the current team of cullers bagged more than half a million invasive green iguanas in the first six months of the island-wide operation, the Department of Environment is calling on more people to train and register in order to make sure there is not an explosion in the population as the breeding season […]
DoE Director welcomes governor’s support
(CNS): The Department of Environment’s director welcomed the support offered to her team’s work by Governor Martyn Roper when he visited the department Friday, accompanied by political leaders and senior civil servants. Gina Ebanks-Petrie said the DoE was glad to have the opportunity to tell the governor a “bit more about the work we do […]
