While the Cayman Islands struggles to find money to protect its indigenous iguanas and parrots, nearly $40 million sits in a specially established Environmental Protection Fund.
The fund was set up in 1997 to acquire land for conservation purposes and other environmental projects. But in the intervening 15 years, it has mostly been used to help shore up the government’s reserve cash coffers, as well as for some infrastructure projects and post-Hurricane Ivan clean-up.
Director of the Department of Environment Gina Ebanks-Petrie said the fund had not been meant to be used by government, but rather to buy land and support conservation efforts.
“The only way we will ever get conservation land is to buy it at sale market value. We realised some time ago that we would need to get some money in order to do that and for other conservation projects, not just government conservation, but for other conservation organisations, like the National Trust.
“The idea was that you would apply for grant money from the fund if your project met certain criteria. It was also envisaged to be out of the hands of government as a separate trust to be managed by a board of trustees comprising government and private sector. That is not how it has transpired,” she said.
According to the 2011/2012 Annual Plan and Estimates, the Environment Protection Fund contained $39.8 million and receives between $4 million and $5 million a year, gathered through departure taxes charged to travellers leaving Cayman via the airport or the cruise ship terminal.
Instead of being used for environmental projects, the Environmental Protection Fund is mostly used to bolster the reserve funds the government is legally required to have under the Public Management and Finance Law to run Cayman for 90 days.
Fewer grants
Because the Department of Environment and conservation organisations such as the Cayman Islands National Trust have little access to the Environmental Protection Fund, they seek external grants from abroad.
“The Department of Environment over the years has had to rely more and more on grants, particularly as our own operating budget has been cut quite a lot over the last few years,” Ms Ebanks-Petrie said.
However, as conservation efforts worldwide increase, the demand for such grants is growing, meaning Cayman has more competition when bidding for funds. Cayman also finds itself at a disadvantage when asking for these funds because it lacks a national conservation law, Ms Ebanks-Petrie said.
That lack of a comprehensive conservation law, which would protect locally threatened species and land, led the UK’s Overseas Territories Environment Programme to turn down a request for funds from the Cayman Islands Department of Environment to help protect the endangered Cayman Parrot.
In notifying the Department of Environment that it would not be providing funds for the project, the Overseas Territories Environment Programme stated: “The panel liked this strong proposal, but felt that without a conservation law being in place, it would not be worthwhile to fund the work.”
Ms Ebanks-Petrie said the project had entailed finding a solution to the “intractable problem” of dealing with local endangered parrots that face threats from local farmers whose produce they destroy.
“The project got good reviews and we probably would have gotten the funding except that one of the things that the OTEP does is evaluate risks when they give money and they felt that because we did not have a proper conservation legislation framework, it probably did not make sense for them to give us the money,” she said.
More reactions like that from grant-giving bodies, as well as the possibility that some external grants might not be made available if those bodies determined that Cayman’s own Environmental Protection Fund could be used for the projects it is requesting funding for, concerns Ms Ebanks-Petrie.
Some of the money in the Environmental Protection has gone toward local conservation – enabling the purchase of some land at Barkers and to pay for a portion of land for the Cayman Brac Parrot Reserve.
“The problem is that there’s no surety, we cannot with confidence plan acquisition of land, for example, because we don’t know to what extent the fund is going to be tied up in this other role it plays. It was never intended to be part of the government’s reserve. It was always meant to be used for conservation projects,” the environment director said.
Under the proposed National Conservation Bill, which has undergone several drafts over many years, but has not been finalised and has not been yet been brought before the Legislative Assembly to be passed into law, a conservation fund would be set up into which fines and other environment-related fees would paid into. It could also accept transfers of funds from the Environmental Protection Fund, said Ms Ebanks-Petrie.
Travellers departing by air are charged $3.28 and cruise ship visitors about $1.60 each for the Environmental Protection Fund as part of their departure tax.
Since it was established 15 years ago, the money in the Environmental Protection Fund has rarely been spent on the projects for which it was established. It has been spent on roads and infrastructure development and after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, some $10 million of it was spent on clean-up operations.
Over the years, money has been transferred from the Environmental Protection Fund into other funds, such as the Capital Development Fund and into the government’s General Reserve Fund. For example, at the end of 2000, when about $3.3 million was collected in the fund, there was a transfer of $5.2 million the General Reserve, leaving the Environment Protection Fund in deficit.
Transfers from the fund date back to its first year of operation, with an auditor general’s report in 1998 showing 18 capital projects were funded by $1.7 million from the environmental fund, but only three related to environmental protection.
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The Fund may have been set up with good intent, but that’s where it ended….
15 years of Coercive Revenue collected from unsuspecting travelers; Caymanians and tourists alike.
40 million dollars dispersed (and/or retained) for everything, but not for what it was initially intended for.
There is nothing more to be said; it’s plain and obvious.
This article has left me, basically, speechless….
If you think this is, in someway, wrong; just hit Agree.
It would be nice if some of that million is put into the coffers of the National Trust.
Perhaps millions could go to the expansion of our beaches for public access; apparently, all the nice spots are being bought out to people who come here on mere summer vacations or profiteering adventures, and then they put no tresspassing signs to prevent locals from walking along the beach. God gave us the sea and the beach… how could a wealthy … say made the sea or the beach and so it is his?
Mahatma Gandhi once said that a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I think this is true. ‘Our environment’ is also implicit in his statement because when you care for our environment, it follows that inhabitants, human and animal alike, are cared for as well.
Gov’t obviously needs a reserve but just because it didn’t have the foresight and good governance to establish its own independent reserve doesn’t mean that it’s right for it to hold hostage such an important means of preserving and protecting where we live.
Can anyone in government explain why those mega bucks are not being used to create jobs for people out of work and why is it that Dart is offering mortgage assistance to Caymanians instead of Government? Why does Dart have to come into the picture?
Where are the people that we elected to look after the needs of the people? 40million for environment?
You have got to be kidding me.
It’s time to put pressure onto government and make sure that monies is transferred to the appropriate department for the benefit of the people. At least 75% of this fund should be used to create jobs IMMEDIATELY and put people back to work. That’s what good government and good fiscal responsibility is all about.
NO MORE EXCUSES!
Dr.Florence Goring-Nozza, D.Div.
According to another local news media there is a whopping 40 million dollars sitting in the Public coffers of the Cayman Islands government.
Have you ever heard such thing in this day and age where there are over ,3000 people unemployed, behind on their mortgages and much more..
Can anyone in government explain why those mega bucks are not being used to create jobs for people out of work and why is it that Dart is offering mortgage assistance to Caymanians instead of Government? Why does Dart have to come into the picture?
Where are the people that we elected to look after the needs of the people? 40million for environment? You have got to be kidding me.
It’s time to put pressure onto government and make sure that monies is transferred to the appropriate department for the benefit of the people. At least 75% of this fund should be used to create jobs IMMEDIATELY and put people back to work. That’s what good government and good fiscal responsibility is all about. Its time they do the right thing by our people.
Makes one wonder if these leaders ever heard of logic.
There’s an old British saying stay where yous’e until I come where you at…
NO MORE EXCUSES!
Dr.Florence Goring-Nozza, D.Div.
Clearly neither Tiger nor Dr. Goring-Nozza bothered reading the article. They merely got inflamed by the 40 million dollars portion of the headline.
Pay attention: That lack of a comprehensive conservation law, which would protect locally threatened species and land, led the UK’s Overseas Territories Environment Programme to turn down a request for funds from the Cayman Islands Department of Environment to help protect the endangered Cayman Parrot.
#2 Over the years, money has been transferred from the Environmental Protection Fund into other funds, such as the Capital Development Fund and into the government’s General Reserve Fund. For example, at the end of 2000, when about 3.3 million was collected in the fund, there was a transfer of 5.2 million the General Reserve, leaving the Environment Protection Fund in deficit.
#3 It was never intended to be part of the government’s reserve. It was always meant to be used for conservation projects.
Tiger and Dr. Goring-Nozza need to recognize that money earmarked for a specific purpose is being misused by the government. This is WRONG and suggesting the money be misused for the purpose of helping out of work Caymanians reminds me of another English saying: Two wrongs don’t make a right!
Why should we be competing for grants, when we have the fiscal resources? Grants are for the truly disadvantaged people in this world. We ought to hold politicians accountable for ALL wrongdoing, not just what affects us most personally.
New International Version (1984)
A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
New Living Translation (2007)
The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.
So what kind of men have we elected if not even the animals are being taken care of. Its the thermometer to how they are really treating the people!
UNJUSTLY!
McKeeva, put the people to work use that money to help people, it is a disgrace that so many people are not working and government is sitting on this money.
GIVE PEOPLE FULL TIME WORK, There is enough money there to employ all 3,000 people full time 7 days a week!!!
Remember election is right around the corner and there are 3,000 people that WILL NOT FORGET HOW MUCH THIS UDP GOVERNMENT MADE THEM ‘SUFFER
Vietnam – wow, it is as though you don’t understand this. This money is nothing to do with unemployed people, and neither should it be used for them.
These are not the funds you are looking for.
Pattieman,
Governments are elected to serve the needs of the people.
Even though funds may be earmarked for a specific purpose;there are times when government must make
unpopular decisions like appropriating funds where IT IS MOST NEEDED! is that new to you?
Have you heard that its more important to put people back to work than to let these earmarked funds sit dormant, while 3,000 people are jobless?
Of course your interest does not at all lean towards the people of the Cayman Islands so the people of the Cayman Islands that have already disenfranchised at the hands of this incompetent government; well, they’re not really on your list of favorite people are they?
Tiger and Dr. Florence Goring-Nozza not only understands earmarking but also that there are special interest groups that oppose anything and everything that supports the socioeconomic interest of the people of the Cayman Islands. We understand that very well and will not allow this to continue under this incompetent government.
It is lack of fiscal planning and lack of labor projections to ensure employment of our people that this incompetent government is wallowing in
I agree with one contributor that the monies could be used appropriately, focusing on hiring people to work in environment. Then government must include financial revenue projections that will put monies into the public coffers. There needs to be some checks and balances in how this money could be invested to assist the jobless people of the Cayman Islands and there are no excuses.
In case the critics forgot, let me remind you we hired our elected officials to think, draft financial projections to generate revenue and take care of the business of the country.The business of the country puts the people first and foremost, not hop the flight at every given opportunity and pander up to Mr. Ken Dart or put the burden on his shoulders to dish out monies to our people, especially when government is able to do the same. It is a political ploy..
I agree that these funds need to be invested right away to protect our Island’s future. Govt should invest them as intended and purchase land for parks while real estate is at historic low prices. If this funds gets added to by 4 million a year then this payment stream could support finance payments on vast tracts of land.
Those clamouring for the funds to be used to create jobs are seriously confused about how the world works. Government should not manfacture meaningless jobs just to move funds to its people. It is well established fact that the reason our country is in the trouble it is in is because our government is too big. Creating make-work jobs makes this problem worse not better. Once these soft jobs are created they will be almost impossible to get rid of. It would be far simpler and less damaging to the country if government fast tracked Dr? Nazzas idea and just doled out the funds. Obviously this is also a bad idea.
Somebody help me out here. Tiger’s earliest posts were signed ‘Dr. Florence Goring Nazza’. That would lead one to believe that they were the same person. Yet later Tiger refers to the two of them as if they were two different individuals.
Are there two people out there with this unpoplular viewpoint or just one?
There is an old British saying about one being in two minds….
Hey VoiceOfNoReason,
I agree completely that government should appropriate
the funds to better use as stated by intelligent people in another forum.
Cayman is uniquely different from most other countries, in that they are not cold blooded like most of the people opposing the recommendation to help Caymanians with these funds.
Since the Compass is a forum that is hounded by everything anti-Caymanian; we really can’t ever expect a single comment to be read here that is in favor of the betterment of the Caymanian people.
The people of the Cayman Islands have made a horrible mistake to allow so many people into the country that are extremely hostile against Caymanians and even more hostile against their progress and well being.
It is very sad. Thank God for those that speak out and refuse to be handled by the bullies that support
a government that goes against the wishes of their people.
As for the so called Voice of Reason, you are so far out in left field that you are off the cliff.
My interpretation of your unreasonable suggestion is that Government should continue serving special interest, and neglect the Caymanian people? I guess what you’re really saying is that government should purchase up as much land as possible and hand it over to Dart allowing him to continue with the swopping of the people’s land, in other words they should continue fronting for Dart and neglect the needs of the people.
Either you work for Dart or you are just a senseless miserable disgruntled individual with a wicked agenda.
Shame on you. Voice of No Reason.
Caymanians listen up.
Money in the hands of a man or woman, ‘MAKES HIM OR HER ARMED AND DANGEROUS
why do you think special interests non-Caymanians are so adamant against Caymanians getting their hands on money? Its because money makes one not only rich but very powerful indeed.
Caymanians must insist that government use those funds to help those that need obs.
CREATE JOBS WITH THE 40 MILLION DOLLARS!
Its only Common sense. We don’t need any foreigners telling us what to do with our money so stop this debate when the Caymanian speaks its the law, its their country and foreigners need to stay out of the Caymanian decision making business. Meddling makes enemies to know your place and stay there.
Liverfool,
My comments did not need misinterpretation. The point is simply spending the funds on short term patchwork solutions without addressing the root cause of the problem will only make things worse not better. Sure there are people out there that need help but making the government even more broke is not the way to do it.
With a tag like Liverpool what makes you the self appointed arbiter of all things Caymanian?
I have news for you. I am Caymanian and I do not work for Dart. I am educated with a real degree from a real University unlike other on this post who tout an honorary degree available online for 39.95.
It should not come as a shock to you that there are many educated Caymanians who do not agree with you and who have the long term interests of the Islands at heart. Just look at the score on your posts. What next – is there an expat conspiracy afoot to prevent Caymanians from giving your comments the thumbs up? This website is pretty good as it limits the number of times you can vote for yourself (unless you create more online identities).
You are right that I think this money is to be used for a special interest. That Special interest is my Children and my childrens children and all their Caymanian brothers and sisters. How can you not support that?
If these moneys are used to manufacture unnecessary jobs where will be be in a year or two? The money will be gone, people will still be hurting and there will be no funds to protect our childrens rights in the future.
Almost signed my name and gave up anonimity.
I am speechless.
Cayman is truly an apartheid country, and it can not be denied. The elite amongst us including leadership have already denied the presence of gangs in out schools, well who will be the first to deny apartheid in the Cayman Islands? It’s here….
For individuals to launch an attack on anyone whether, nationality, black, white, rich or poor,simply because there is concern about the plight of joblessness amongst Caymanians, is truly history in the making.
The 40 million dollars sitting in an environmental fund wherein not even the environment is benefiting from it, was simply being recommended that those funds be utilized to create jobs and put Caymanians back to work, as a result, a cyber civil war was ordered and resulted in an attack on anyone supporting the advancement and success of the Caymanian people who dare to recomment those funds be better used to create jobs.Shocking isn’t it?
This may be a hard pill to swallow, and many of you will be in denial, but history is repeating itself in a British territorial jurisdiction that claims the freedom of democracy as a way of life.
In February 1990 President FW de Klerk announced Nelson Mandela’s release and began the slow dismantling of the Apartheid system. In 1992 a whites-only referendum approved the reform process. On 27 April 1994 the first democratic elections were held in South Africa, with people of all races being able to vote.
Since Cayman Islands election of the UDP government in 2009 only foreign individuals have been guaranteed the right to work while Caymanian born individuals have been denied and thrown slave labor menial cleanup jobs for only two weeks out of the year.
South Africa was an apartheid nation that kept black people into captivity for way too long ending in the early 90’s.Why in heaven’s name would the people of the Cayman Islands tolerate apartheid elements coming into this little island that are clearly against the success of their own people?
Apartheid is truly a part of the socioeconomic structure that promotes and propagates the failure of the local people.This is truly disheartening.
I suggest Caymanians that are jobless should appoint a leader amongst them and make an important decision how you are going to put a stop to this injustice and claim your rightful birthright position in Cayman’s society.
‘A RIGHT TO WORK
BaBa,
It is an insult to the millions of people who suffered under apartheid, many of whom gave their lives, for you to try to play the race card in this situation. The situation here in Cayman is tough for sure but nothing like apartheid era South Africa. This is a real enough problem that doesnt require hysterical rhetoric.
For those who havent read the article fully please do so. It states that the funds are currently used to shore up the legally required reserves that this country must have so it can operate. What this means is that this money cannot be spent right now unless it is immediately replaced by other funds. These assets provide security so Government can maintain the liquidity it needs to borrow money from banks to do things like pay the current civil service when cash flow is short. The Funds are also there as support for the national debt. If they are spent then the Government will be forced to immediately buy down its debt which it cannot afford to do.
If these funds were spent to create jobs the only jobs they would create would be for bankruptcy attorneys.
For those that want to use these moneys to create jobs lets play a little game. Ignore the inconvenient truth that the funds cannot be touched and describe a plan that creates jobs. My only rules are that the jobs must actually be needed in today’s society and they cannot be short term in nature. For extra points you can explain what happens when the money runs out in a couple of years.
The reporter of this article had a purpose and focus when writing this piece.
That’s why I had a desire to read it and finally commented accordingly.
But for some reason this forum turned ugly quite quickly; from Protection Funds to Politics in an eye blink.
Unbelievable!
Yes, BaBa Boom, cyber civil war at it’s best. (By the way, I like that term., most appropriate).
Posters, who in the past, have tried to the keep the Government on the straight and true path in it’s obligation to the people (commendable to say the least) are now encouraging and demanding that they, Govt, ‘misappropriate’ money from a clearly Defined Fund (though non-functional as it stands) to alleviate the needs of the unemployed.
Aiding the poor is a noble cause, but to suggest that money collected under the guise of an Environmental Fund in actuality is to be directed towards the poor is outright ‘Fraud’.
So, to keep it legal by definition it can only be one or the other (a preservation fund or a people fund), it can’t be both.
BUT, for some strange reason it won’t be either Because the Government is using the money instead to float itself. Huh.
What happened to the word Transparency, did some more people just decide to have it erased from the Cayman/English dictionary?
Let’s not make this a precedent or else money will be flying all over the place without rhyme or reason, for whatever cause, simply because it can potentially be done by the whim of the people, whenever they force such actions, or even not.
This is truly frightening Politics and Economics!
NOW, back to the point of this Article.
The Government is never going to stop this ‘cash cow’ of Coercive Revenue being imposed upon travelers for the coffers of the ‘Environmental Protection Fund’; it’s simply too lucrative.
In the haze of paying fees, duties and whatnot left, right and centre, I doubt anyone even knows that this money is being collected from them and for what purpose.
Stop the charade, sham and shameful penny pinching (that somehow exploded into umpteen millions) in that this money is going to the protection of the environment.
Caymanians and tourists are being treated as idiots and suckers.
The Goal was Noble but the end use is far from that.
Apartheit dead???
Whatever gave you that impression VoiceofReason…. look at SA its alive and kicking, not white agaist black this time, black against black, and its worse than ever…. wake up man.
greenman,
You obviously dont know what apartheid was. You cant even spell it. I actually did not say apartheid was dead and even erroneously refered to it in the present tense. For the record Apartheid as a policy is as dead as Elvis. Howvever racism and ignorance still exists throughout the world.
Apartheid WAS the government policy of racial segregation. The current problem in SA is not forced separation but rather violence based on tribal and often religious differences.
How can you have black on black racial segregation anyway? Also what does any of this have to do with the thread topic and the fact govt cannot spend this money for ANY purpose let alone to magically create jobs?
To collect tax money for one stated purpose and then use it for another is FRAUD.
Conservation projects would, incidentally, create jobs, which are sorely needed. However, if the tax was designated as being for conservation projects then it MUST be used for that purpose and no other.
Environmental or Energy issues were never a concern when I was in cayman and it still seems to be the same. I’m about to finish my second green energy related degree so give me a shout when the island is ready as i’d love to go back for a while.
first time it seemed i was ahead of my time.
It is admirable to see that some have the highest intelligence to move on from the controversial topic as some don’t seem to want to let go. Proving a point is not always as important as the moral in the story coming from both sides, therefore there should be no room for personal attacks, the personal attacks is a show of ignorance.