The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem (26 July) aims to raise awareness about the importance of mangroves as unique yet vulnerable habitats and to promote their conservation. Natalie Hall, Senior Adviser in the RSPB Global Policy team gives an update on the development threats to the Cayman Islands’, Central Mangrove Wetlands and asks you to take action.
The RSPB works with the communities and conservation organisations in the UK Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands which is home to the largest continuous mangrove forest in the Caribbean.
Our work here is currently focussed on supporting the local community to prevent a huge road development bulldozing through the Grand Cayman’s Central Mangrove Wetlands.
The Central Mangrove Wetlands. © The Cayman Islands Mangrove Rangers - Mangrove Action Project.
Mangroves support life on land and at seaMangrove trees are unique because they can grow in salty environments. They fringe the coasts of tropical and subtropical countries and form inland habitats far from the shore.
Mangroves serve important and varied functions in wetland ecosystems. For example, the branching roots of Red Mangroves act as a nursery for marine life. When these animals grow up, they move into deeper waters.
The coastal and inland mangroves on Grand Cayman are hugely important in supporting life on land and in the sea.
Why protect the mangroves?You’ll see in our previous blog that the mangrove is home to many species of fish, insects and birds including the Near Threatened Cayman Parrot. The mangrove is also vital for protecting homes from storm surges, hurricanes and coastal erosion. Other benefits of mangroves to society include their ability to absorb carbon to mitigate climate change, filter water and regulate rainfall.
The Central Mangrove Wetland in Cayman is a unique and valuable ecosystem that provides numerous benefits. It is important to protect and preserve this wetland to ensure the continued health and well-being of the island's environment and its people.
We are experiencing a nature and climate crisis. The last thing any country should be doing is destroying their critical natural habitats. With the global conventions on the climate (COP27) and biodiversity (COP15) fresh in our memories, we urge the Cayman Islands Government to make the 30x30 pledge, to protect 30% of their land and 30% of their ocean by 2030, starting with the Central Mangrove Wetland.
Update on the threat of a new road developmentLast year we updated readers on the proposed 10-mile-long road extension called the East-West Arterial (EWA) that is planned to cut through the southern portion of the wetlands. This remains a priority case for the RSPB.
The threat is still real and the Members of the Cayman Islands Parliament voted in favour of a private member’s motion asking for a section of that extension to be built without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
An Environmental Impact Assessment must be completedThe National Trust for Cayman Islands released a statement explaining the importance of carrying out an EIA in this instance saying:
“On a project of this scale it is international best practice to do an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to better understand the implications of the project before commencing.
An EIA looks, not just at how the project will impact the natural world, but how those impacts will affect the people living nearby. This allows those building the road to have the best information available to mitigate potential problems caused by the road to the community and the natural environment.”
The mangrove is home to many species of fish, insects and birds including Cayman Parrots. © Jane Haakonsson.
Take action to save the mangrove
With support from the RSPB and Sustainable Cayman, a non-profit group for sustainability and conservation located in the Cayman Islands - Amplify Cayman, a fully community-invested group of diverse and civic-minded Cayman residents, have put together a petition calling for ‘Democracy over Destruction’.
The community are asking UK residents and wildlife lovers across the globe to complete the petition calling for an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed prior to decisions over the road development and other development threats including an airstrip.
Sign the petition today
We ask that you help save the Central Mangrove Wetland in Cayman by sharing your support on social media by following Sustainable Cayman’s social media channels, sharing and commenting on their posts:
Sustainable Cayman website Sustainable Cayman on Instagram Sustainable Cayman on Linkedin Sustainable Cayman on Facebook YouTube - Marvellous Mangroves Creature Feature Ep.2 - The West Indian Whistling Duck
Immerse yourself in the beautiful sights and sounds of the Cayman Central Mangrove in this short video produced by Amplify Cayman:
Continue reading- Travelling the four UK seas in the name of ocean conservation - International Women’s Day – celebrating women in conservation in the UK Overseas Territories- Saving the largest continuous wetland in the Caribbean from destruction
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