A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

In the Cayman Islands we are enriched with a wonderful natural environment. In this Green Guide to our Marine Environment we hope to show you how all of our lives on these three magical islands are intimately connected to the land and the sea that surrounds it.

Like many of our Caribbean neighbours, a large proportion of our economy depends on reef-based fishing, diving and tourism. The beauty of our coral reefs, our beaches and our lagoons is that it is part of our heritage, and it draws many thousands of overseas visitors to our shores. It is our responsibility, as stakeholders sharing this beautiful environment, to do what we can to minimise our impact upon it. Ogier has sponsored the Green Guide, and through this publication, is helping us to preserve our natural and cultural heritage.

It is a heartbreaking fact that the coral reefs of the world are facing an increasing number of severe threats. Fish stocks worldwide are declining rapidly, and pollution, human population pressure, global warming and simple carelessness are putting our marine environment under great stress.

At the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, our mission is to sustain marine biodiversity through research, education, and outreach. We learn about our natural environment, teach what we know, and reach out to our community and government as partners who will benefit from that work. As part of that mission, we aim to produce, in partnership with our sponsors, a series of Green Guides to help residents and visitors to these beautiful islands preserve their natural treasures.

In many ways, our islands come from the sea. The sea is the link between our past and our future. We hope that this Green Guide to the Cayman Island’s Marine Environment will help you to appreciate and understand the ways in which we can all work towards protecting that wonderful natural heritage for future generations. We thank Ogier for their leadership in working toward conserving the diversity of life on our islands.

Peter Hillenbrand
Chairman
Central Caribbean Marine Institute

About our Chairman:
Peter Hillenbrand moved to the Cayman Islands in 1995. He has worked tirelessly to establish CCMI as a premier non profit organisation, working to empower our youth to be conservation oriented and to appreciate our marine heritage. He was instrumental in developing the renewable energy design for the Little Cayman Research Center, funded our first Cayman Scholars Internships, and played a leadership role in the Legacy Campaign to raise funds to build the research center. Mr. Hillenbrand’s resort, the Southern Cross Club, has incorporated numerous green technologies to reduce impacts on land and on coral reefs of the Cayman Islands.