🌊 Controversial East End shoreline project gets government approval

The Cabinet has approved a coastal works license for a groyne and the excavation of swim areas along the beachfront of the Wyndham Reef Resort in East End, despite strong objections from the Department of Environment (DoE). The DoE had previously recommended that the application be denied due to the potential damage to the marine environment and erosion of the beach, which is an active turtle nesting habitat. The project is primarily aimed at managing the sargassum in the area, but the work will push it onto an adjacent resort’s beach. The decision by the Cabinet signals a departure from sustainability considerations in environmental matters. 🏖️

The DoE had warned that the project would set a damaging precedent for the construction of other groynes to repel the summer influx of sargassum, which can build up on some of Grand Cayman’s beaches. The department had also highlighted the potential for direct environmental impacts to the offshore environment and the beach due to the altering of the coastal sand transport system. The project could also lead to significant damage to the seabed in the immediate footprint of the proposed groyne, destroying seagrass beds and emergent beach rock, which are important marine habitats. 🌿

The DoE had previously recommended against the excavation of the existing swim areas back in 2001 due to concerns of shoreline retreat, but the department was ignored, leading to increased beach erosion. Further beach erosion has also been caused in the area by previous inappropriate sargassum beach cleaning, which has impacted the beach profile and the suitability for turtle nesting. The approval of this project could potentially impact hatching and nesting turtles directly. 🐢