Little Cayman iguana protector named Conservationist of the Year

Tanja Laaser, an intern with the Department of Environment who has been running a programme to try to save juvenile Sister Islands rock iguanas from being wiped out by feral cats, has been named Conservationist of the Year in the National Trust’s bi-annual Governor’s Conservation Awards.

Laaser received her award at an outdoor ceremony at Governor Martyn Roper’s residence, Government House, on Tuesday evening.

Other awardees this year were Julia Hislop, from Cayman Brac, who received the Heritage Preservation Award; Cayman Kayaks which received the Tourism Industry Conservation Award; and Estefania ‘Steff’ McDermot who won the Lois Blumenthal Youth Conservationist Award.

Among this year’s nominees were Bill Lamonte (Conservationist of the Year); Ally McRae (Heritage Preservation Award); and Dinara Perera of the Mangrove Rangers (Lois Blumenthal Youth Conservationist Award).

Although there was no recipient of the Corporate Conservation Award this year, Dart received a special Certificate of Recognition for its corporate efforts, “specifically in the conservation of Cayman’s endemic plants through the West Indies plant nursery and for their achievement of LEED certification”.

National Trust Executive Director Annick Jackson said the judges had a difficult time choosing between the two “outstanding” finalists of the Conservationist of the Year Award.

Lamonte has “inspired, co-funded and participated” in several youth conservation groups, “so much so that his students nominated him for this award”, she said, while Laaser, who also works at the Little Cayman Museum, goes “above and beyond when its comes to her conservation work for the Sister Islands rock iguanas”.

Speaking to the Compass after receiving her award, Laaser said, “It’s such an honour. I want to thank everyone in the Little Cayman community that made it possible.”

Over the past year or more, Laaser has been working on a ‘head-start’ programme to protect Sister Islands rock iguanas from feral cats on Little Cayman by removing baby iguanas from the wild and allowing them to grow in cages, away from the threats of the cats, which the DoE says are killing almost the entire juvenile rock iguana population on the island.

Laaser said the time was coming soon for those iguanas to be released. “It was really beautiful to see them grow over the last year. They’re all one year old now and are almost ready to be let go. They’re still not big enough so that the cats won’t get them. We have to release them because they’re getting too big for the cages, but we can’t release them just yet as the cats could still get them,” she said.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Roper said he was “struck” by the number of people and organisations in Cayman that were willing to come forward and try and make a difference to conservation in the islands.

“As we await next week’s Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, when the world really steps up and makes sure we deal with these incredibly challenging issues affecting our planet, to be able to spend some time thinking about our conservation, heritage and biodiversity, and rewarding people who are doing something about it, I think that’s wonderful and I’m pleased to be a part of it,” he told the attendees.

National Trust chairman Olson Anderson explained that the awards were created to honour people and organisations who make concerted efforts to educate others, as well as take steps towards conservation so that future generations can enjoy what they have protected.

“While this is a biannual event, we find these heroes should be saluted every day, every month, every year, and what makes us so exited about the future is seeing young people who are motivated to make positive changes in their community,” he said. “They understand the value of not just speaking up, but acting out. They don’t have a problem seeing an issue, talking about it and then acting on that speech.”

Hislop was given the Heritage award for restoring ‘Inglemere’, Aston and Ruth Rutty’s house on Cayman Brac, which was built in 1930. Aston Rutty was Cayman Brac’s district commissioner for 41 years. Jackson said the restoration of the home was “truly significant to the community and to the family”.

McRae, Hislop’s fellow finalist for the award, was nominated for her efforts to save the Clayton Nixon House, which is now located at the Mission House in Bodden Town.

Jackson, announcing that Cayman Kayaks, owned by Tom and Lisha Watling, had won the Tourism Industry Conservation Award, said the company was receiving it for its “significant work” and its support of the community during COVID.

Praising the work of McDermot and Perera, nominees for the Lois Blumenthal Youth Conservationist Award, Jackson said, “It is truly something special when you see the passion and the dedication of our youth advocates”.

McDermot received the award for her work with Plastic Free Cayman, Sail for Climate Change and the Central Caribbean Marine Institute.

About the awards

Conservationist of the Year – This is awarded to individuals who have implemented or significantly contributed to a conservation project aimed at protecting biodiversity, wildlife, endangered species or places of environmental significance.

Tourism Industry Conservation Award – Organisations or individuals who offer environmentally-friendly visitor services and easy access to outdoor nature activities.

Heritage Preservation Award – Organisations or individuals who demonstrate a commitment to the preservation of built, written or cultural elements of Cayman’s history.

Lois Blumenthal Youth Conservationist Award – A young person between the ages of 15 and 25 years old for his or her conservation work with native species.

Corporate Conservation Award – Organisations that have made major strides to reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint.