21 September 2026 – Grand Cayman
The National Conservation Council published a statement today in response to the NCA Amendmenet Bill 2026.
The National Conservation Councilis deeply concerned that proposed amendments to the National Conservation Act pose serious and irreversible impacts to the long‑term health of Cayman’s natural environment by weakening the strength of the Act and therefore the capacity of the NCC and DoE to effectively administer its provisions.
The proposed redefinition of “alien species” to exclude any species which has been in the Cayman Islands for 100 years or more is not only at odds with the globally accepted scientific understanding of the term but would also undermine current laws and very quickly unravel decades of dedicated conservation work. It is accepted by the global scientific community that alien (or non-native) species are animals, plants or other organisms introduced by humans, either intentionally or accidentally, into areas outside their natural range (i.e. the total geographic area where that species occurs naturally without human help) (see IUCN website link to definition). To redefine otherwise would therefore be unscientific and cause a significant and concerning shift in environmental policy in contravention of best global practices. Such a decision would have serious consequences for the management of introduced species in the Cayman Islands.
READ the complete statement at
Media statement in response to the NCA Amendment Bill 2026 – The National Conservation Council