Tag: Department of Environment
DoE v CPA legal battle confirmed for June
(CNS): The unprecedented forthcoming legal battle between two public sector entities, effectively setting government against government, has been listed to be heard in June. The Department of Environment and the National Conservation Council have requested a judicial review of a Central Planning Authority decision that ignored a legal directive not to grant planning permission.
Turtle nests hit hard by last year’s storms
(CNS): Endangered sea turtles face a number of serious threats to their existence, which now includes climate change. Already at risk from poaching, coastal development and human activity, especially lighting that disorients hatchlings, the turtles must now contend with rising summer temperatures, rising sea levels and increased storm activity, which undermine their nesting season.
Sharks taking refuge from humans in deep water
(CNS): Three Caribbean reef sharks were caught on camera at a depth of around 300 feet off the coast of West Bay, Grand Cayman, last week. Experts from the Department of Environment said the footage of the three healthy sharks, two female and one male, demonstrates that while they remain one of the dominant predators […]
Road threatens hundreds of acres of pristine habitat
(CNS): Plans for a ten-mile long, 160ft wide stretch of multi-lane highway that will extend the East West Arterial from Woodland Drive to Frank Sound Road will see the removal of more than 174 acres of undisturbed habitat. If the road goes ahead it poses a threat to more pristine natural environment as it traverses […]
DoE opens bid on new approach to invasive iguana
(CNS) The Department of Environment (DoE) is hoping to find a new way to manage the invasive green iguanas and move away from the current bounty system, transitioning the current cull to a lower cost operation, given the reduced population. According to a bid recently opened on the government’s procurement website, this is envisioned as […]
Cement driver caught clearing truck in Barkers
(CNS): Local mangrove activists recently came across a cement truck clearing its mixer in the mangroves at Bakers after delivering its load to a nearby development site. Although only a small amount of cement was dumped, it has turned to concrete and killed several mangroves in the area, which the activists reported to the Department […]
Suspect poachers caught at Rum Point
(CNS): Four men are facing a list of possible criminal charges for poaching offences after conservation officers from the Department of Environment intercepted their boat last week in a protected marine reserve. On Wednesday, 2 February, DoE officers responded to a report from members of the public about suspicious activity in the Marine Reserve in […]
Dozens object to $125M Crystal Harbour hotel project
(CNS): A planning application for a major hotel and residential project in Crystal Harbour has generated dozens of objections from residents in the wealthy gated community. An application by Land Ltd (Silverfin) for the Prisma Project will be heard by the Central Planning Authority on Wednesday.
New ideas needed to keep green iguanas in check
(CNS): An army of around 320 registered cullers have managed to kill almost 1.35 million invasive green iguanas over the last three years since the project first began, but there has been a decline in interest from cullers despite an increase in the bounty. This is largely because the estimated number of iguanas has dropped […]
CPA urged to wait on court before hearing Baer application
(CNS): A canal-front project that is currently the subject of a legal challenge because the developers constructed a sea wall without a coastal works licence has made its way onto the agenda of next week’s Central Planning Authority meeting, just two months before the case will next be heard in court, as the developers are […]
Foster’s gets go-ahead to move old-time house
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority has given Foster’s the green light for the expansion of its Republix store in West Bay, according to recently published minutes on the planning department’s website. The application had been adjourned by the CPA to allow the supermarket time to consider two options for an old-time Caymanian house on the […]
