Cayman Islands  
  

 

  • Cayman's native forests are a unique combination of trees such as the Silver Thatch, the Broadleaf, Ironwood, Candlewood, Smoke Wood, Sweetwood, Snake Wood, Pickle Wood, Fiddlewood, Fustic, Pepper Cinnamon, Headache Bush, Snake Hand trees, Duppy Bush and others. In the past, these trees were used for food, shelter, clothing, medicine, boat-building, livelihood and export. They are therefore now a part of the history, culture, natural heritage and identity of these Islands.  These trees and shrubs develop in dry rocky forests and woodlands and are extremely slow growing. Unfortunately, as Cayman's rocky areas are cleared for development so are the natural woodlands, often with little regard to their rarity, age or cultural significance.  There are 29 endemic plant species found solely in the Cayman Islands. If these trees and shrubs are preserved they can be showcased as part of the floral and faunal diversity that sets our islands apart from other tropical destinations.
  • Cayman Islands dry forests - Encyclopedia of Earth
      http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cayman_Islands_dry_forests 
  • Terrestrial Ecoregions -- Cayman Islands dry forests (NT0208) http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0208_full.html 
  • Statistics for the Cayman Islands http://rainforests.mongabay.com/stats/Cayman_Islands.htm 
  • The Rare Brac Parrot - Only on Cayman Brac Island http://www.bracreef.com/bracParrotBirding.html 
  • The Cayman Islands: The Future of Unique Forests Hangs in the Balance - The three low-lying Cayman Islands are strung along a submarine mountain ridge south of Cuba, west of Jamaica. The rapidly increasing human population is concentrated in Grand Cayman. Environmental conservation is shared between the National Trust for the Cayman Islands and the local Department of Environment. The Cayman Islands are clothed in subtropical dry forests and mangrove wetlands, supporting diverse life typical of the Greater Antillean region. http://www.ukotcf.org/territories/cayman.htm 
  • Cayman Wildlife Connection:  http://www.caymanwildlife.org/ 
  • Press - Bat House In The Cayman Islands - The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has discovered that their bat house project does more than provide habitat for important, misunderstood native wildlife. It also pleases people who have been struggling with the problem of bats in their roofs, and reportedly keeps mosquitoes at bay. “This has been a ‘win-win’ project from the very beginning,” comments Mrs. Lois Blumenthal, Director of the Bat Conservation Program there. “Our prison woodshop builds the bat houses and volunteers help us paint them and install them on donated utility poles. The generous contributions of these poles by Caribbean Utility Co Ltd (CUC) have been crucial to the success of the program. Utility poles are ideal for bat houses because they are strong enough to stand up to high winds and tall enough to be very attractive to the bats.”  http://www.caymanwildlife.org/prs-bathouse-caymanisland.html 
  • John Gray Recyclers' Grand Cayman Seacology Park Project
     http://www.johngrayrecyclers.org/id22.html 
  • Cayman Wildlife Connection - Plants  http://www.caymanwildlife.org/plants.html  There are about 700 plants growing wild in the Cayman Islands. Cayman Wildlife Connection is developing a series of educational posters featuring the most interesting of these. The information presented here is just the beginning. We encourage everyone to use the links and publications recommended on this site to do their own research and learn more about Cayman Island's rare, endemic, culturally significant and fast-disappearing native trees and plants.
  • The National Trust - Cayman Islands http://www.nationaltrust.org.ky/ The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is a non-profit, statutory body with a mission: "To preserve natural environments and places of historic significance in the Cayman Islands for present and future generations." 
  • Cayman Net News: About the Cayman Islands  http://www.caymannetnews.com/cayman.shtml Almost 2,000 acres of dry forests and mangrove wetland are protected by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands. An internationally acclaimed system of marine parks is managed by the Department of Environment...At one time the forests of Cayman abounded in tall mahogany and logwood, but today the trees are of much smaller varieties. Coconut and thatch palm, seagrape, almond and casuarina (Australian pine) are abundant; breadfruit, papaya, avocado, citrus, mango and naseberry are the predominant fruit trees. 
  • Cayman Islands MINI-WOODLANDS TREES and SHRUBS http://www.caymanwildlife.org/images/posterimage/posters-pdf/MiniWoodlandCommonSep05.pdf   
  • Cayman Trees  http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1614706&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Cayman's newest stamp issue, scheduled to be released next Thursday (23 February), has as its aim increasing public knowledge of the need to preserve a precious natural asset that is now at risk of extinction. The five-stamp issue, "Cayman's Cultural Series, Part 1 - Trees," showcases some of the trees of native growth forests that traditionally were used to support the country's livelihood but are now threatened by the impact of modern development.
  • Cayman Brac & Parrot Preserve http://www.nationaltrust.org.ky/info/bracparrot.html