Marine parks review goes public

The Department of Environment is taking its findings of a comprehensive scientific review of the Cayman Islands’ marine parks on the road. 

The department has organised a series of seven meetings in all districts this month to share the findings and get feedback from the public. 

Researchers of the Darwin Initiative, a three-year project to evaluate the local reefs and marine parks, have completed their second year of field work, which is led by Department of Environment Senior Researcher Croy McCoy. 

Those researchers, from the Department of Environment and Bangor University in Wales, have conducted dozens of reef surveys looking at fish numbers and sizes, coral cover and species composition, said Department of Environment Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie. 

She said public involvement and feedback from the community and interested parties formed a “critical part of the process”, adding that it was “vital that people feel a sense of ownership in the future of local marine parks and the resources they protect”. 

Cayman this year celebrated its 25th anniversary of the establishment of protected marine parks. 

The research team has checked 60 sites on the three islands, looking for stressors such as coral bleaching, disease and overfishing, and has also examined long-term data collected by the Department of Environment to see how the reefs’ health has been impacted over time. 

The data has been input into a software programme specifically developed for marine-protected areas, which maps and gives options to enhance marine parks. 

The project is partly funded through a Darwin Initiative international research grant of $344,000 through the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and ultimately supports an improved marine parks system. 

The first meeting will be held on Cayman Brac at the Medical Wing of the Aston Rutty Centre on Monday, 5 September. This will be followed by a public meeting at the Bodden Town Civic Centre on Wednesday, 7 September; North Side Civic Centre on Thursday, 8 September; Sir John A Cumber Primary School in West Bay on Monday, 12 September; South Sound Civic Centre on Tuesday, 13 September; and East End Civic Centre on Thursday, 15 September. All meetings begin at 7.30pm and are scheduled to end at 9pm. A date and location for a public meeting on Little Cayman are to be confirmed.  

For more information on the meetings, contact 743-5915.