Tag: Department of Environment
Rezone will increase pressure on 7M Public Beach
(CNS): Parliament has voted to rezone several parcels of land by Seven Mile Public Beach that will allow for ten-storey development and ultimately increase the pressure on one of only a handful of remaining places where people can still freely access Seven Mile Beach. The site of the RBS Coutts Building and Trafalgar Place is […]
Blue iguana stows away to George Town
(CNS): Members of the public were quick to spot that an iguana wandering around a parking lot in the industrial area of George Town was not a member of the invasive greens but one of Cayman’s rare and iconic blues. Surprised to see the animal so far from its usual habitat, they called the Department […]
CPA sticks by NCC order over turtle lights
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority has said it is obligated to follow a National Conservation Council direction to find that a condition of planning approval for turtle-friendly lighting at a proposed luxury beachfront house in Rum Point had not been met. During its meeting last week, the CPA said the recent court ruling meant they […]
NCC and CPA facing another potential battle
(CNS): The Central Planning Authority and the National Conservation Council might be engaged in yet another dispute over the council’s powers to curtail unsustainable development. This time, in one of only five projects where the NCC has issued a directive, the pending conflict is over a developer’s failure to submit an adequate turtle-friendly lighting plan […]
CPA makes terse response to Boggy Sand ruling
(CNS): Central Planning Authority Chairman Ian Pairaudeau issued a terse statement on Thursday about the Grand Court ruling in the judicial review of the ‘Boggy Sand ‘case indicating that the board’s lawyers are reviewing the judgment but made no comment on the findings. The ruling found that the CPA had acted unlawfully when it ignored […]
Court confirms NCC powers in Boggy Sand case
(CNS): The National Conservation Council does have the power to direct government bodies when their actions could have an adverse effect on protected areas or species, the Grand Court found in the long-awaited ruling in the ‘Boggy Sand’ judicial review, which was released Tuesday. The judge also found that the NCC can delegate that power […]
DoE staffer first Caymanian to dive the Cayman Trench
(CNS): Sabrina Douglas, assistant geographical information systems (GIS) and field support specialist at the Department of Environment, became the first Caymanian to dive the depths of the Cayman Trench inside Alvin, a specialist submersible, as part of an ocean exploration research project currently underway into this mysterious part of the Atlantic. Douglas is working aboard […]
Scientists demonstrate new measures for coral disease
(CNS): As scientists continue to research the causes of stony coral tissue loss disease, they are developing various measures to help control its spread. Last week during a workshop on Grand Cayman for scientists on the front line of the fight against SCTLD, a devastating pathogen attacking reefs across the region at an alarming rate, […]
DoE works on reef damaged by boat at Eden Rock
(CNS): Divers from the Department of Environment Marine Unit are working to re-attach damaged corals to the reef at Eden Rock following a recent unreported grounding by a large ship at the popular dive site. The damage was reported by local environmental activist Rory McDonough, who contacted the DoE, the premier and the port authority […]
Sargassum trial stalled as seaweed decomposes
(CNS): The trial to remove the massive influx of sargassum stranded in the North Sound using a pumping system has come to an abrupt end after just a few days because the level of decomposition of the seaweed made continued removal efforts impractical, according to the Department of Environment.
Pumping trial starts on sargassum in North Sound
(CNS): The Department of Environment’s sargassum clean-up trial will continue throughout this week, officials have said. Garvin Park, which is the base for the pilot operation, will remain closed until Thursday to give the contractors time to pump out a significant amount of the floating seaweed, which has been trapped in the North Sound for […]
