Tag: Gina Ebanks-Petrie
Real protection needed to stop mangrove clearance
(CNS): The Department of Environment is hoping that if Cabinet accepts the recommendations of the National Conservation Council for a species protection plan for mangroves, it will help curtail the constant clearance of these important plants for development. With a number of sites, from West Bay to Snug Harbour, being cleared of mangroves in recent […]
Future of Boggy Sand Beach in jeopardy
(CNS): The shifting sand on one of West Bay’s most famous beaches has caused considerable public concern this summer as large parts of it disappeared. Beaches are dynamic, with sand coming and going depending on the time of year and seasonal weather conditions, but the recent disappearance of a swathe of Boggy Sand Beach has […]
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 […]
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 […]
People urged to lobby MLAs over NCL threat
(CNS): At an educational meeting hosted by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands Wednesday night, attendees were urged to contact their MLAs and lobby them about concerns over mounting threats to the environment, especially from development, and to offer their support for the National Conservation Law. Many people in the audience felt that there […]
DoE director blocked from people’s vote meeting
(CNS): The chief officer in the ministry overseeing the Department of Environment has blocked DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie from attending a public meeting on Thursday being organised by the Cruise Port Referendum campaigners, despite the many technical environmental questions likely to arise from potential voters. The supervisor of elections, Wesley Howell, has confirmed that he […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Law requires public scrutiny of final port design
(CNS): The Department of Environment has said that when a developer for the George Town cruise and cargo project is selected, the final design must go through another environmental impact assessment, which will require public consultation. DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie said that the previous assessment was for a design that is no longer under consideration, […]
DoE seeking to protect 20% of Cayman’s environment
(CNS): Five years after the historic passage of the National Conservation Law, the Department of Environment said that so far it has managed to designate 3,477 acres of land across the three Cayman Islands as public protected areas. Another 634 acres on Grand Cayman are pending for protection, which accounts for just over 6% of […]
