Press Release: National Trust for the Cayman Islands Statement on the National Conservation Act
February 1st 2024 –
The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is honoured and privileged to have a permanent seat on the National Conservation Council and be part of the protection that the National Conservation Act provides to the people of Cayman. As a non-governmental organisation, the National Trust’s mandate is to serve the interests of the people of Cayman by protecting the natural and cultural heritage of the Cayman Islands in perpetuity.
The National Conservation Act (NCA) established processes to ensure decisions made today do not have a negative impact on our future. As can be seen in other countries and in Cayman’s past, decisions made without careful consideration of the environment can have unintended, unforeseen and irreversible consequences.
While development and change are a necessary part of life, Cayman must take a long-term view to ensure that short-term benefits are not outweighed by enduring costs to people’s health and quality of life.
It is difficult, if not impossible to see how the NCA is seriously impeding development, as some might claim, when we see a skyline filled with cranes and rising buildings, once green spaces cleared to the ground, mangrove forests razed and filled, poorly planned seawalls leading to the disappearance of the peoples’ beaches, and historic structures torn down. Currently, the pace of development far outstrips the pace of protection on our islands.
The NCA exists to promote and secure the biological diversity of the Cayman Islands, ensure the sustainable use of Cayman’s natural resources, and protect and conserve endangered, threatened and endemic wildlife and their habitats. The National Trust believes that the mandate of the NCA is more important now than ever.
To read the full press release click here
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