Letter to the Editor

From The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

For the Attention of Caymanian Media Houses

02 December 2013

Dear Editors,

The proposed National Conservation Bill is urgently needed, and will provide the Cayman Islands with basic elements of environmental protection which go hand in hand with sustainable development and have long been the norm in most other developed countries.

From an international perspective, writing as the Chief Executive of Europe’s largest conservation organisation, it is clear that this Bill does not go as far as much modern nature legislation; it is certainly very far from the extreme environmental measure which some parties are trying to paint it to be. Instead, the Bill will establish an effective, reasonable and necessary environmental management regime and will fulfil Cayman’s international obligations. Above all, it will help ensure that future generations of Caymanians will be able to enjoy the islands’ world-class natural environment, which is otherwise at risk of disappearing forever.

The RSPB works actively across the UK Overseas Territories, promoting sustainable development and funding local environmental protection. This balanced and relatively modest Bill, having undergone a decade of consultation, only serves to bring the Cayman Islands up to the environmental standards which many other Territories already enjoy. I hope therefore that it may now, at last, be passed.

Yours sincerely,

(signed)

Dr Mike Clarke

Chief Executive

EDITOR: The RSPB is Europe’s largest conservation charity. Based in the United Kingdom, this organization is dedicated to the protection, preservation and conservation of all birds, from the most common backyard and garden birds to the rarest species in the UK.

It was initially founded in February 1889 in response to the Victorian era fashion trend of rare feather plumes adorning ladies’ hats, a trend that was endangering different bird species and leaving nestlings abandoned when parent birds were shot for their feathers. In November 1904, the organization was incorporated with their Royal Charter, formally marking the creation of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Early activities of the RSPB included printing educational pamphlets and leaflets to raise awareness of conservation issues, coordinating educational programs about birds, selling nestboxes to help garden and backyard birds and advocating legislation for official conservation and protection measures. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the RSPB bought the first tracts of land for a single reserve, marking the beginning of land preservation efforts that still continue today.

What the RSPB Does Today

Today, the RSPB does many of the same conservation and educational activities as it has for more than a century. With more than one million members and more than 13,500 volunteers, the society continues to advocate for legislation to protect birds and their habitats, including worldwide efforts through a partnership with BirdLife International. From a single reserve, the society’s protected lands have grown to more than 130,000 hectares (321,000 acres) in 200 nature reserves, many of which can be visited by conscientious birders.

One characteristic that distinguishes the RSPB from many other conservation organizations is that the society is concerned with the welfare of all birds, even the most common, whereas many other organizations focus on rare or threatened species. The RSPB believes that all birds have value, and the health of avian life can be a direct indication of the well being of the environment as a whole.

For more go to: http://homes.rspb.org.uk/