Cayman Islands Department of Environment

24/09/2026

⚓ This World Maritime Day, September 24, the Cayman Islands Maritime Administration celebrates the people and partners who keep our waters safe, our maritime sector strong and Cayman moving. Under this year’s theme, “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence,” we recognise the importance of turning strong maritime policy into action. Our maritime sector keeps us connected to the world, from bringing essential goods to our shores to supporting jobs, businesses and livelihoods, the sea plays a vital role in our economy.

23/09/2026

Sea turtle hatchlings are dying because of artificial light.

🐢 When we light the beach, we hijack a hatchling’s instinct to reach the ocean. Artificial light confuses hatchlings to head towards buildings, pools and roads where they become trapped, exhausted, dehydrated or killed. They fight with everything they have to keep going, but our lights are leading them away from the sea.

📺 WATCH the Compass TV story:
https://youtube.com/shorts/qyUXPQq--ug?si=qRQMEw0ZMO2LCPnQ

🏖️ If you live or manage a beachfront property, do not wait until you know a turtle nest is nearby to change harmful lighting. Every non-turtle-friendly light that is visible from the beach is a danger to hatchlings.

If your property is lighting a nesting beach, contact DoE about turtle-friendly lighting solutions on [email protected].

📕 READ the full story at
https://doe.ky/turtle-hatchlings-found-dead-in-east-end/

⚠️ Turtle Hotline: 938-NEST (938-6378) for emergencies

Officials are reminding the public of the impact artificial lightin...

22/09/2026

🐟 How can you make smarter seafood choices?

Navigating the seafood counter and reading the information provided on labels or on restaurant menus can be confusing. Making the most sustainable choice isn’t always simple.

BlueBelt Officer Kelly Forsythe recently sat down with Raegan Rutty on Compass TV Daybreak to talk about sustainable seafood and how we can make better informed choices when buying fish.

📺 WATCH the interview:
https://youtu.be/TdTq6RhCGJo?si=41iCxRhChEhpi5ZW&t=908

📕 READ the "How to" Guide:
https://doe.ky/smarter-seafood-choices-how-to-guide/

🎣 BE informed!

National Trust for the Cayman Islands

17/09/2026

Sea turtle hatchlings are dying because of artificial light.

When we light the beach, we hijack a hatchling’s instinct to reach the ocean. Artificial light confuses hatchlings to head towards buildings, pools and roads where they become trapped, exhausted, dehydrated or killed. They fight with everything they have to keep going, but our lights are leading them away from the sea.

So far this season, hatchling misorientations have been recorded from 15 nests — 13 in Grand Cayman and two in Cayman Brac. Together, those nests produced over 1,000 hatchlings, many of which didn't make it to the sea.

If you live or manage a beachfront property, do not wait until you know a turtle nest is nearby to change harmful lighting. Every non-turtle-friendly light that is visible from the beach is a danger to hatchlings.

Look at your property from the beach after dark. If your lights are visible from the beach and are not turtle-friendly, turn them off throughout nesting season or contact DoE about turtle-friendly lighting solutions.

READ the full story at
https://doe.ky/turtle-hatchlings-found-dead-in-east-end/

Turtle Hotline: 938-NEST (938-6378) for emergencies
Turtle-friendly lighting contact: [email protected]

16/09/2026

Habitat Mapping in Little Cayman

Over 1000 validation points across Little Cayman have been compiled from sources including historical surveys, recent high resolution satellite imagery, and over 185 new field habitat observations.

The field campaign paints a rich picture of the unique habitats across Little Cayman. This data will play a vital role in the ongoing effort to create a high resolution landcover map of the Island, ultimately supporting more efficient, evidence-based decision making for biodiversity conservation, and helping to address pressures such as development, habitat loss, invasive species and climate change.

The better we understand how our habitats are interconnected and changing over time, the better we can protect them for both people and wildlife.

Learn more at:
https://doe.ky/habitat-mapping-caymans-future/

Biodiversity Challenge Funds
JNCC

15/09/2026

What do you think of the proposed Protected Areas?

The National Conservation Council (NCC) is inviting the public to review and provide comments on two proposals to protect Crown Land in the Cayman Islands.

IRONWOOD FOREST

The Ironwood Forest is a 10.5-acre area of biodiverse dry forest and shrubland in central George Town, Grand Cayman. This is the largest remaining fragment of George Town’s ancient forest, supporting an exceptionally high diversity of native plants and animal including the forest's namesake Ironwood, the rare bromeliad Old George, the Grand Cayman parrot and the Ghost Orchid, all of which are unique to Grand Cayman. Several other species of concern are either unique to Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands, or the greater Caribbean, with many considered critically endangered globally.

Learn more and have your say!
https://conservation.ky/ironwood-forest

LIGHTHOUSE NATIONAL PARK

The Cayman Brac Lighthouse National Park totals 211.66 acres and covers Crown lands associated with the Lighthouse Trail, Lighthouse parcel, Long Beach, the adjacent Bluff face, Little Cayman Brac rock formation and Peter's Outlook. This ancient and unique terrain supports several native iconic species of the Cayman Islands including the Sister Islands Rock Iguana, Sybil's Crownbeard, nesting White-tailed Tropicbirds and critical Brown B***y nesting sites.

Learn more and have your say!
https://conservation.ky/brac-lighthouse-park

11/09/2026

Green iguana survey in full swing

DoE Terrestrial Research Officer Jane Håkonsson along with DoE research assistants, Evan Rivers and Darcelle James have been trekking the bush along the Mastic Trail to record green igunana sightings. The sighting data is compiled with other data gathered across mutiple visits to the exact same coordinates and used to estimate the population and identify density trends.

DoE researchers use this methodology to estimate populations and density for many key species. This helps us create plans for protection and/or management which then become the foundations for furture policy.

WATCH the recent interview of DoE's Timothy Austin speaking about the latest green iguana numbers on Daybreak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKOG56FjNQ4

National Trust for the Cayman Islands
Compass TV

08/09/2026

Congratulations Martin!

Congratulations to DoE Sister Islands Field Officer and founder of Brac Scuba Shack Martin van der Touw for being named a 2026 Local Honouree at the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame!

Martin has been living in the Cayman Islands for 28 years with the majority of his time spent in Cayman Brac. He founded Brac Scuba Shack in 2012 and has been an integral part of the DoE Operations team since 2019. In his role as Sister Islands Field Officer Martin works directly with the research teams ensuring they have the tools they need and can get where they need to go so they are able to collect the data needed for their research.

When asked what he loves most about his work with DoE Martin said, “I like to think that I make a difference in helping the DoE protect the environment. I truly enjoy applying my skills to maintaining the DoE assets and teaching locals about the importance of the marine environment and how it benefits tourism.”

Martin is more than a technical diver, engine mechanic and operations guru, he’s also a warm and friendly face for the team when we arrive in the Brac to work.

WATCH his induction week interview with the ISDHF team!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72lL8OcqQSE

Thanks for all you do Martin and congrats on being recognized for your immense contributions to Cayman Islands diving and the environment!

03/09/2026

Congratulations to our friend and colleague Connor Childs for winning the Cayman Connection 2026 Environment & Sustainability Award!!

Connor has dedicated numerous hours underwater with the DoE coral team conducting reef assessments and helping to maintain coral nurseries and also in the lab assisting with coral husbandry and aquarium maintenance.

His dedication to coral conservation and restoration along with his postive attidue are wonderful assets to our team and we couldn't be more proud of him for this exciting achievement.

Congratulations Connor!

02/09/2026

🦇 We are just batty over the new bat house at Government House! Thanks to everyone who came together to make it happen.

🦇Learn more about Cayman's incredible bat species and the citizen science Bat Count Cayman project at https://doe.ky/citizen-scientists-get-batty-with-bat-count-cayman/