From Hon Wayne Panton Cayman Islands Minister for Environment

Today (8 June 2016) is being celebrated worldwide as World Oceans Day with a theme of ‘Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet’. Globally our planet’s oceans and seas are under an unprecedented level of threat from a variety of sources: overfishing, pollution of many types, overdevelopment of the coastal zone, mangrove removal, and now climate change. 

 As one of the first countries in our region (and in fact globally) to enact comprehensive marine conservation measures, including marine parks, the Cayman Islands are extremely fortunate to still be able to claim relatively healthy marine resources. However, over the past few years Cayman’s marine environment has also been subjected to threats such as increased fishing pressure, ongoing coastal development, mangrove removal, climate-change induced coral bleaching, and even the proliferation of the invasive red lionfish. 

 It has been said that the ocean is the heart of our planet and protecting it requires us to respond with new and innovative legislative and policy measures. I am very proud to have been able to do my part in successfully piloting our National Conservation Law through the Legislative Assembly early in this Government’s term, and I am committed to seeing the full commencement of the law in the very near future. 

 Last Saturday (4 June 2016), despite the weather, the Department of Environment (DoE) and its project partner, Marine Conservation International, held a very successful event, SharKY fest, in celebration of the fact that all sharks (and rays) are now completely protected everywhere in the Cayman Islands, out to the extent of our Exclusive Economic Zone. If one thinks about our geographic location in the western Caribbean, it can be appreciated that this means that there is a fair portion of the ocean where these extremely important animals are now safe. 

 As a fisherman I know the perception is that we compete with sharks for fish, but this is not the case. Even when a shark occasionally takes a tuna or snapper off the line it’s not competing with us. That’s simply a sign of a healthy marine environment, which means more fish! Research around the world has shown that when we have healthy shark populations we have healthy reefs and other marine environments. 

 So while Cayman has made significant strides in protecting our ocean, there is still much to be done. Providing continued and appropriate protections to our fragile marine environment which provides us with so many benefits, both economic (in terms of tourism jobs for example) and social (through recreation and enjoyment) is the goal of the proposals for enhanced marine parks, which have been the subject of extended public consultation over the past couple of years. Research carried out by the DoE and its Darwin Initiative project partners, Bangor University and The Nature Conservancy, has shown that marine protected areas are the most effective, most efficient and most economical way to conserve our marine resources for future generations. 

 Over the last 30 years our marine parks have served us well, preserving marine life in the Cayman Islands for residents and tourists alike to enjoy. But we know that our reefs are still in decline and we live in a different world today — the threats are real and growing and we must respond. This is why I am also committed to ensuring that the proposed enhancements to the marine parks, which have been recommended by the DoE and endorsed by the National Conservation Council, are adopted as soon as possible.

 This week the world also celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June 2016, with a focus on illegal wildlife trade. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called on everyone to ‘go wild for life’ and take action to help safeguard, for future generations, species that are under threat.  With the entry into force of parts 4 and 6 of the National Conservation Law last year the Cayman Islands took a big step forward in how we manage our native wildlife. Our Conservation Officers now have the powers they need to enforce our laws effectively and our courts are already seeing the benefits of this in the cases being brought before them. 

 The Cayman Islands has been a party to CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — for many decades. And with the entry into force last year of the Endangered Species Trade and Transport Law, the Cayman Islands’ updated CITES legislation, we are doing our part as good stewards, not only of Cayman’s wildlife resources but also of wildlife around the world. This is why for World Environment Day we join with other countries globally in defending our environment against not just illegal, but unsustainable, wildlife trade. It is worth noting that later this year, the parties to CITES will consider adding certain shark and ray species to the lists of protected species. As mentioned earlier the National Conservation Law now ensures that all sharks and rays are completely protected in Cayman waters, so we are once again ahead of the curve. 

 Our Government’s goal is the conservation of nature, not just as an end in itself, but in recognition of the tight linkages and interdependencies of a healthy natural environment and the health and welfare of our people today and in the future. This is why I am so committed to seeing the National Conservation Law fully commenced as soon as possible, and why I will be bringing forward the proposals to enhance and future-proof our national system of marine parks. This week, in recognition of World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, we recommit ourselves as a nation to these goals for our people, who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of these environmental protections. When we protect our environment, we protect our people as well. 

Related:

Human Rights Commission’s Statement on World Oceans Day 2016

The Human Rights Commission (“the Commission”) joins the United Nations’ (“the UN”) in celebrating World Oceans Day 2016, on 8 June.

Adopted in the General Assembly on 5 December 2008, the goal of World Oceans Day is to “raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways people can help to protect it”. This year’s theme, “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet”, was chosen to lend support to the UN’s focus on sustainability and protecting the oceans’ natural resources.

The UN explains the importance of the oceans: “the ocean is the heart of our planet. Like your heart pumping blood to every part of your body, the ocean connects people across the Earth, no matter where we live. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea.”

The protection and sustainability of the sea and marine life has always been of significant importance to the Cayman Islands due to our strong maritime history and seafaring heritage. As the waters surrounding the Islands sustained a great abundance of sea turtles the first settlers made their living by hunting them. Seafaring was also a way of life for many Caymanian men to support their families as other forms of work was scarce on the Islands. Today, the Cayman Islands have become world-renowned for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving.

This rich heritage deserves to be protected. Section 18 of the Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009 (“the Constitution”) gives a right to protection of the environment. This right places a positive obligation on the Cayman Islands Government to consider the environmental impacts that may result from decisions or actions taken by public authorities. In all its decisions, the Government is required to have regard to the need to foster and protect an environment that is not harmful to the health or well-being of present and future generations, while promoting justifiable economic and social development. This includes the adoption of legislation and other measures “to protect the heritage and wildlife and the land and sea biodiversity of the Cayman Islands”.

For the past 30 years, the Government has been proactive in overseeing the protection and conservation of Cayman’s marine life. In 1986, the Marine Parks legislation was enacted to reduce the impact of overfishing and reef and coral damage inflicted by diving and boating activities, research is regularly undertaken by the Department of Environment, and more recently, in 2014, the National Conservation Law was brought into effect. The Commission applauds the Government on its efforts to promote the sustainable development of Cayman’s marine environment and encourages it to continue to comply with its constitutional duty to protect our natural resources.

The UN provides the following “facts and figures” on oceans:-
 “Oceans cover three quarters of the Earth’s surface, contain 97 per cent of the Earth’s water, and represent 99 per cent of the living space on the planet by volume.
 Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.
 Globally, the market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at $3 trillion per year or about 5 per cent of global GDP.
 Oceans contain nearly 200,000 identified species, but actual numbers may lie in the millions.
 Oceans absorb about 30 per cent of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.
 Oceans serve as the world’s largest source of protein, with more than 2.6 billion people depending on the oceans as their primary source of protein.
 Marine fisheries directly or indirectly employ over 200 million people.
 Subsidies for fishing are contributing to the rapid depletion of many fish species and are preventing efforts to save and restore global fisheries and related jobs, causing ocean fisheries to generate US$ 50 billion less per year than they could.
 As much as 40 per cent of the world oceans are heavily affected by human activities, including pollution, depleted fisheries, and loss of coastal habitats.”

The Commission encourages individuals in the Cayman Islands to show their support or become involved and for World Oceans Day 2016 by:-

1. Participating in a beach cleanup activity;
2. Collecting recyclable materials such as plastics, glass, aluminum cans etc. at home or work and taking them for recycling;
3. Visiting the Cayman Islands National Museum to learn more about Cayman’s maritime history and seafaring culture;
4. Visiting the Cayman Islands land-based Maritime Heritage Trail which was created by a partnership of the National Museum, Department of Environment, the Cayman Islands National Archives and the Cayman Islands National Trust;
5. Learning about climate change to understand what we can do to decrease its impact on our sea and marine life.