PROTECTING THE CENTRAL MANGROVE WETLAND

A Call for Integrated Planning Before Development Determines Its Future

Dear Premier and Members of Cabinet,

Sustainable Cayman remains committed to responsible development that meets the needs of Cayman’s growing population while protecting the natural systems upon which our communities, economy and future resilience depend.

The Central Mangrove Wetland (CMW) is widely recognised as the ecological heart of Grand Cayman. It is a large, interconnected wetland system that supports the North Sound, provides habitat and nursery grounds for wildlife and fisheries, stores carbon, manages rainfall and contributes to the island’s resilience to flooding and storms.

For many years, Government, scientists and environmental and hydrological experts have recognised the importance of maintaining the ecological and hydrological integrity of the CMW. Government’s own planning work identifies applicable areas within the CMW for a Natural Resource Preservation Overlay (NRPO) [Section 4.1, 2023 National Planning Framework].

Yet this protection has still not been formally put in place.

Cayman Forward: Putting Integrated Planning into Practice

Through Cayman Forward, Government has recognised that development and environmental stewardship should not be treated as competing objectives. Its recommendations, approved by Cabinet in July 2026, seek a more coordinated approach to planning and environmental decision-making and recognise the importance of accelerating the updated National Development Plan to guide future development and land use.

The Central Mangrove Wetland presents an immediate opportunity to put those principles into practice.

This is not simply a question of environmental protection. It is about how Cayman plans for growth, where development should occur, how infrastructure should support it, and how the cumulative consequences are considered before development patterns become established.

Government is now updating Cayman’s Development Plan, with communities intended to participate in determining the future land use of their districts. If major roads, subdivisions and associated infrastructure progressively establish development patterns before that process is completed, important land-use choices risk being made before the public has had its say.

Why We Are Concerned

Sustainable Cayman continues to advocate for the proposed East-West Arterial (EWA) to be realigned away from the Central Mangrove Wetland. Our concern extends beyond the road footprint. Major new infrastructure can create access to previously difficult-to-develop land, influencing surrounding land use and generating further demand for roads, drainage, utilities and public services.

Recent planning applications north of the proposed EWA illustrate why these issues should be considered together rather than as isolated decisions. This includes the current application P26-0725 for an approximately 181-lot subdivision on Block 42A Parcel 15, shown on the enclosed infographic.

This is not a new concern. In 2012, a 120-lot subdivision was proposed on Block 31A Parcel 29. The Department of Environment raised concerns about breaching the Mangrove Buffer Zone and potential consequences for the surrounding mangrove system and North Sound.

In 2022, a proposal to rezone part of the same parcel specifically relied upon the proposed EWA extension as justification for changing its future land use. The Central Planning Authority declined to pursue the rezoning because it was not consistent with the draft National Planning Framework.

This history demonstrates the relationship between road planning, access and future development pressure — and why an agreed strategic planning framework should come first.

The Development Plan should determine the pattern of future development. Future development should not determine the Development Plan.

Protecting an Interconnected System

The CMW cannot sensibly be considered parcel by parcel. Roads, subdivisions, drainage, filling and other infrastructure can alter water movement, fragment habitat and create cumulative pressures extending beyond individual property boundaries.

This is particularly relevant to the current EWA process. The February 2026 scope for the Environmental Statement amendment provides for updated assessment of direct impacts on the CMW, habitat loss and National Trust property, but states that no update to the indirect and cumulative evaluation is anticipated.

Given current and emerging development applications around the proposed road corridor, we respectfully suggest that indirect and cumulative development pressure now warrants careful consideration.

Declare the Natural Resource Preservation Overlay

Government’s planning framework already identifies the Natural Resource Preservation Overlay (NRPO) as a mechanism through which applicable areas of the CMW can receive enhanced planning consideration.

We ask Cabinet to protect the Central Mangrove Wetland while the Development Plan process is completed, and to commit to formalising the Natural Resource Preservation Overlay for applicable areas through the Development Plan and Area Plans. This should include a long-term strategy that works fairly with affected landowners.

In support of this, we respectfully ask Cabinet to:

1. Ensure the EWA alignment and alternatives fully consider the ecological and hydrological integrity of the CMW, including indirect and cumulative development pressure;

2. Assess major development proposals affecting the CMW within the context of the wider wetland system, rather than as isolated parcel-level decisions;

3. Avoid decisions that establish significant new development patterns before the Development Plan and associated district-level public consultation are completed;

4. Introduce appropriate interim planning safeguards for the CMW while the Development Plan, Area Plans, NRPO and EWA planning processes remain underway, so that decisions made in the interim do not pre-empt the outcome of those processes; and

5. Develop a long-term land protection and stewardship strategy in partnership with affected landowners, using voluntary acquisition of priority conservation land through the Environmental Protection Fund and appropriate planning incentives, including clustering and density mechanisms, to protect critical areas while directing development towards less sensitive land.

Cayman needs homes, functioning roads, drainage, utilities and public services. It also needs healthy natural systems that reduce flooding, support biodiversity and fisheries, and contribute to the long-term resilience of our communities. Cayman Forward recognises that these objectives do not need to compete. The Central Mangrove Wetland provides an opportunity to put that principle into practice: plan first, understand the cumulative consequences, protect critical natural infrastructure, and make development decisions within an agreed framework.

Sincerely,

Sustainable Cayman