Tag: DoE Terrestrial Resources Unit
Cats going back to the wild after snip by NGO
(CNS): Alley Cat Allies, the international charity that founded Global Cat Day, marked on 16 October spent the day in Grand Cayman providing spay and neuter surgery for up to 100 cats and distributing hundreds of pounds of cat food to help local caregivers in a counter campaign to government’s control programme. But officials with the […]
DoE battles misinformation over feral cat cull
(CNS): The Department of Environment’s effort to control invasive species and the growing detrimental impact on endemic and local species have met with a significant amount of misinformation recently, especially on social media. The rollout of the alien species regulations that provide a lawful, clear platform for the control of feral animals and protection of […]
Feral cat cull underway near booby bird nests on Brac
(CNS): In response to the number of brown booby birds that have been killed recently on the southwest shoreline of Cayman Brac, the feral cat and rodent cull that began last week around the Lighthouse area on the Bluff in the eastern end of the island will be expanded to include this high-density pocket of […]
Consultation shows surge in public support for conservation
(CNS): The recent nomination process for protected areas represented “a whole new level of public interest” in the conservation of Cayman’s natural habitat, according to Fred Burton, manager of the Department of Environment (DoE) Terrestrial Resources Unit. He said that there were 89 nominations to protect dozens of locations on all three islands, which is […]
Caribbean is world’s worst region for diversity loss
(CNS): The Caribbean and Latin America Region has seen a decline in animal and fish populations of 94% over the last 50 years, according to an analysis of bio-diversity by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) published Thursday in the Living Planet Report 2022. The world has seen a devastating drop of over 69% but this […]
Cayman should preserve at least 30% of land
(CNS): The Cayman Islands needs to place at least 30% of its terrestrial habitat under formal protection to have a chance of preserving the nation’s natural resources, according to Fred Burton, the director of the Terrestrial Resources Unit at the Department of the Environment. Speaking on Radio Cayman’s Talk Today programme last week, the local […]
Feral cats create crisis for local birds and reptiles
(CNS): Experts at the Department of Environment who focus on Cayman’s unique and rare birds and reptiles are increasingly concerned about the danger posed to many species across all three islands from feral cats. The threat to the endemic rock iguana on Little Cayman has been well documented but these animals are also a critical […]
Forest fire kills off 26% of endemic ‘Old George’
(CNS): More than a quarter of the endemic and critically endangered ‘Old George’ (Wittmackia caymanensis), a type of bromeliad plant, was destroyed in the March brush fire at the Ironwood Forest in George Town, the Department of Environment has revealed. Writing in the latest edition of the department’s bi-monthly magazine, Flicker, Jane Haakonsson, the editor […]
Expert issues warning about rock iguanas
(CNS): Fred Burton, manager of the Department of Environment Terrestrial Resources Unit who was fundamental in bringing Grand Cayman’s endemic blue iguana back from the brink of extinction, is warning that the Cayman Islands needs to act now to save the Sister Islands rock iguana on Little Cayman before it, too, faces extinction. A recent […]
Sister Island iguana in worrying decline
(CNS): A survey on Little Cayman of Sister Islands Rock Iguanas (Cyclura nubila caymanensis) has shown that the species is in serious trouble as a result of cats and cars as well as habitat loss. While this iguana is already listed as critically endangered, the latest count revealed a further unsustainable decline due to the […]
One million greens bite the dust
(CNS): Cullers, who have been working for just under twelve months to control what was a serious risk to Cayman’s natural environment from the invasive green iguanas, reached an important milestone Thursday, when the millionth animal was killed. Fred Burton, the head of the Department of Environment Terrestrial Resources Unit, said the landmark was a […]
