Topic: environment
Government prioritising sustainability and resilience over reaction
Cayman must stop waiting for crises to emerge before taking action, and instead begin designing policy around resilience says Minister of Health, Environment and Sustainability, Katherine Ebanks-Wilks.
Suspected poachers caught in inter-agency operation
The Cayman Islands Coast Guard coordinated an operation with Department of Environment officers and Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers that resulted in the arrest of two men on suspicion of several poaching-related charges
Cayman quietly emerging on the global environmental scene
As global leaders gather in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, the Cayman Islands is asserting its role as a regional environmental leader.
Compass Media staff rescues seabird entangled in hair product
An anhinga seabird recently showed up in the parking lot at Compass Media with a hair weave wrapped around its beak and feet.
Bermuda eyes developers for first offshore wind energy project
As it continues to innovate and diversify its renewable energy mix, the success of Bermuda’s wind energy project, which is expected to be operational by 2030, could well influence Cayman’s own renewable energy journey.
New government called a ‘turning point’ for environmental protection
Environmental campaigners are hailing the election of newly formed National Coalition for Caymanians as a watershed moment for sustainability, signaling promise in how the islands balance development and environmental protection.
Open letter on climate change from Sustainable Cayman
In an open letter to UK and Cayman officials, Cayman youth call for government action on climate change.
Bush says conservation law changes needed, as others object
Government backbencher McKeeva Bush broke the UPM's silence on amendments to the National Conservation Act on Thursday as he confirmed changes were on the way, however he denied allegations that the legislation will be "gutted."
Conservation Council expresses ‘grave concern’ over ‘ill advised’ proposed NCA changes
Cayman's National Conservation Council came out swinging in defence of the National Conservation Act on Wednesday as it raised objection to any amendments that would "dilute" its ability to "act effectively".
Garden Club’s Flower Show shines light on environment
Artwork and arrangements created using garbage collected at clean-ups competed for top prize at the Garden Club of Grand Cayman's bi-annual Flower Show on Saturday.
DoE urges community to ‘prioritise nature’ ahead of Cayman Earth Week
With Cayman Earth Week set to begin on Monday the Department of Environment has called on the community to use the opportunity to prioritise nature in their daily lives and perform acts that will help the planet.
Hero’s welcome for Dejea Lyons after winning Legacy Award
Cheers and applause echoed through the arrivals hall of n Owen Roberts International Airport Monday afternoon as Caymanian student and environmental activist Dejea Lyons received a hero's welcome after receiving the prestigious Legacy Award on Thursday
All-woman recycling team dedicated to a greener future
The Department of Environmental Health's all-female team at Recycling Centre is on a mission to futureproof the islands for generations to come and they are urging the community to come together for a cleaner, greener Cayman Islands.
Driver backs into mangrove pilot project site
A driver has damaged a small section of a new border of mangrove propagules planted at the Barcadere Marina as part of a pilot project to test the feasibility of using recycled glass to protect local wetlands.
Cayman by numbers: Highest ever temperatures and record waste going to landfill
The Cayman Islands experienced the highest maximum temperature in 10 years during 2022, according to the latest statistics.
CIS kids help release Cayman parrot into the wild
A rescued female Cayman parrot will taste freedom on Saturday thanks to the fundraising efforts of the kids at the Cayman International Middle School.
Public views sought on draft climate-change policy
The Cayman Islands is a step closer to safeguarding against climate change, following the release of a draft copy of a long-awaited government policy this week.
On Earth Day, a look at Cayman’s unique environment
The Cayman Islands, with its beautiful beaches, crystal-clear waters, and diverse ecosystems, have a special role to play in the global effort to protect the planet.
Cayman’s environmental neglect exposed in watchdog report
Little renewable energy, lack of recycling facilities and high carbon dioxide emissions are some of Cayman’s environmental failures, a report has revealed.
Gun club plans to build shooting ranges on mangrove wetland
Several shooting ranges may be built on one of the last remaining Crown-owned plots of mangrove forest on North Sound - if the Central Planning Authority gives it the thumbs up.
Saving the planet one bite at a time
Caymanian Manusri Prabhakar is on a mission to change the way Cayman consumes its food while simultaneously saving the planet one bite at a time, and she's doing it through her company Eco Eats.
Dejea Lyons named Planeteer Alliance Ambassador
Caymanian environmentalist Dejea Lyons has been named one of 16 ambassadors at international youth environment programme Planeteer Alliance, an initiative of the Captain Planet Foundation.
Dart pledges to conserve an ‘acre for acre’
The Dart group has pledged to conserve an acre of natural habitat for every acre it develops in the Cayman Islands in future.
Shark killings on the rise in Cayman waters
The number of sharks being killed in Cayman’s waters is increasing, with 27 reported killed as of 26 Aug. compared to 16 in 2019.
Elect MPs who prioritise the environment
Cayman truly is a jewel: our beaches, our wetlands, our mangroves, our undisturbed green spaces, our coral reefs, underwater world and our wildlife on...
Natural and man-made problems cast shadows over Seven Mile’s future
Sea-level rise and storm impacts pose a serious long-term threat to the viability of Seven Mile Beach as a national recreational asset, the Department of Environment has warned.
Vote to preserve Cayman’s culture and environment
I have lived in Cayman for over 80 years. And I am now saddened by the recent onslaught on our natural environment and cultural...
Poll: What is the most pressing environment concern?
What is the most pressing environmental issue in the Cayman Islands you would like to see candidates address if elected?
Putting a price on nature
A new project aims to calculate the economic value of some of the services provided by Cayman's natural ecosystems in an effort to elevate the standing of the environment in planning and development decisions.
Interactive: The changing face of Cayman, 1958 versus 2018
A series of aerial images of Cayman through the decades shows how quickly the island has changed and how dramatically that has impacted the landscape.
Starfish emerge in numbers in North Side
Popular nature attraction Starfish Point has seen a resurgence of its namesake animal during the COVID-19 lockdown, and the Department of Environment is urging the public to take extra care when visiting the site.
Report calls for ‘green stimulus’ to drive post-COVID-19 recovery
Environmental watchdogs are calling on government to "seize the moment" and create a greener post-COVID Cayman.
Environmental education focus group established
Cayman’s environmental organisations have joined forces to create a special education focus group to provide curriculum-linked outdoor teaching activities for the local community.
HRC celebrates youth involvement in key social issues
Newly appointed Human Right Commission chairman Dale Crowley commends Cayman’s young people for getting involved in issues not only impacting local shores, but the world at large.
CCMI programme inspires students
The seven-year-old Young Environmentalist Leadership Course is designed to expose more Caymanian students to the possibilities of a career related to the marine environment, whether that’s working in the local dive industry, becoming a research scientist or something in between.
Cayman plastic plume startles harbour patrol
Delwin McLaughlin has been boating on the waters around Cayman for many years, but what he saw last Thursday stunned him: a floating stream of plastic more than a mile long in the ocean west of George Town.
Performing arts camp inspires students
The Cayman Arts Trust provided its first free performing arts camps this summer for children attending Cayman’s government schools. George Town Primary School hosted the programme, which covered two weeks of activities.
Jessop: A more integrated approach to the environment
Last week, the United Nations published a document which indicated that historically unprecedented levels of human activity were causing dramatic changes to the variety of plant and animal life in the world.
Rahn: Eat endangered species
Under the current system, a landowner finding an endangered species on his or her property has a strong incentive to kill it before the government becomes aware that it is on the landowner’s property, which they then might lock up.
The cat
Today's editorial cartoon
Letter: Supermarkets, please help reduce plastic waste
I would also recommend that [supermarkets] use paper containers that are more eco-friendly and are compostable.
Letter: Destroy eggs to control green iguana population
Why not research the possibility of tackling the problem by dealing with the up to 70 or so eggs laid by every female iguana during a year?
EDITORIAL – The A’s, B’s, and C’s of the world’s disappearing honeybees
Cayman should be cautious whenever we start tinkering with complex ecosystems. When it comes to Nature, “In God We Trust” might be a reasonable motto. No doubt, God knows what He’s doing – but it’s not at all certain that man does.
Mosquito Research and Control Unit appoints new director
The Mosquito Research and Control Unit announced on Tuesday that it has appointed James McNelly as its new director.
Beach trash
Today's editorial cartoon
Letter: Protect Cayman’s waters
This past visit, it was really apparent to me something needs to be done with respect to protecting the waters, the creatures and the reefs from too many tourists that have no clue or respect.
EDITORIAL – When withholding the truth has consequences
As representatives of the public’s interest, government’s first impulse must be to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Bodden Town Mission House gets pre-Christmas makeover
The Mission House in Bodden Town got a pre-Christmas makeover Monday by members of the Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing.
The ocean’s deadliest predator
Today's editorial cartoon
Protecting marine life is a matter of survival
Spearfishing is only one part of a large variety of ways that I believe we must change our take from the reefs if we hope to solve this problem before it is too late for our most important, most endangered species.
EDITORIAL – Conservation Law: Revisiting an ‘unnatural disaster’
The salient question in our minds is whether lawmakers should overhaul the existing law … or scrap it completely and start over.
Premier is correct: sections 41 and 43 of National Conservation Law are ridiculous
The provisions of sections 41 and 43, in my opinion, do not meet the test, mandated by the Constitution, of a reasonable balance between protecting the environment and development for the benefit of the Islands.
Governments play a role in paving way for electric vehicles
Fortunately, the Cayman Government is playing its part with plans which include for zero duty on EV’s for a five-year period.
EDITORIAL – ‘Road kill’: The impact of the impact assessment
The political cliché “There’s plenty of blame to go around” does not apply to the controversy now swirling around the announcement by the National Conservation Council’s unanimous decision to require an environmental impact assessment before the “Ironwood road” can proceed.
Eco-friendly ways of making wine
Environmental sustainability has become common in the production of many consumer goods over the past two decades and it is no different in the wine industry.
EDITORIAL – Head-on collision: New highway and environmental law
A highway is plotted directly through the “ecological heart of Grand Cayman.” On one side are elected leaders who support the project. On the other are officials charged with protecting the environment. What we have here, folks, is a high-stakes game of chicken.
Report reveals staggering scale of iguana problem
Contract hunters would need to cull nearly 200,000 green iguanas per year at an estimated cost of more than $1 million to make an impact on the exponentially increasing population of the invasive species.
Enforcement officers fighting poaching
Environment officials are concerned about an apparent rise in poaching despite new legislation increasing the powers of conservation enforcement officers and providing new legal protection for a variety of species.
EDITORIAL – Force of ‘nature’: An activist on the public payroll
Any “environmentalist” worth his or her salt is a fierce soldier, eager to take up arms against perceived adversaries. Remember that if your battle cry is “save the environment,” it must be saved from someone — that is, other humans.
Cayman Islands could join Branson’s energy challenge
The Cayman Islands government is in discussions with Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room initiative to make Cayman part of the “Ten Island Challenge,” which seeks to help small islands move away from fossil fuels.
EDITORIAL – Required reading for landfill neighbors (i.e. most of us)
The Cayman Islands government might prefer that voters forget about the existence of the George Town Landfill and the latent health threats it poses. We doubt that will happen.
Immigration: Cuban boat in South Sound will be moved
An abandoned Cuban boat that has been beached in South Sound since May 6 will be removed within a few days, Cayman Islands Immigration Department officials said Monday.
EDITORIAL – ‘Tip of the spear’: The Conservation Council’s conflicts
When it comes to the National Conservation Council and its potential conflicts, we feel that concerns over fishing methods and fish species may end up being just “the tip of the spear.”
Conservation Council in spear conundrum
The National Conservation Council has raised concerns that its responsibility for renewing spear fishing licenses may conflict with its legal duty to protect threatened fish species.
Rubis station to be demolished; answers sought on fuel spill
The Rubis station on Shedden Road will be empty by Friday, and demolition will start immediately as workers and several companies seek the origins, age and size of the fuel spill underneath the premises.
Breeding season: What to do if you discover a baby bird
While the Cayman Turtle Farm’s resident reptiles are its star attractions, the West Bay facility’s exhibits also include a popular aviary and other animal displays.
Fuel spill contaminated drinking water for at least one property
A fuel spill on Shedden Road close to the Rubis gas station contaminated drinking water to a nearby property, according to the Water Authority.
Guy Harvey, SeaWorld team up to save sharks
In a new partnership, Guy Harvey is teaming up with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment to work on raising awareness and doing research on shark conservation.
Coral ‘trees’ planted to build up Cayman’s reefs
Conservationists are planting several coral “trees” in Grand Cayman’s waters this week to help build up the reefs, thanks to a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the ocean environment.
Engineers sought for cruise berthing design
Advertisements are to appear in local and international media Wednesday seeking proposals for civil engineering design work for the proposed cruise berthing facility.
