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Heritage
The National Trust for the Cayman Islands
protecting our
paradise
Conservation of the Zebra butterfly
The National Trust is a non-
profit NGO created to preserve
the history and biodiversity of
the Cayman Islands. Through education and conservation, we work to protect environmentally sensitive and historically significant sites across all three Islands.
our Work
ENVIRONMENT
We focus on preserving sites which have been determined to be environmentally significant through a set of heritage register criteria. Our work establishing
a system of protected areas across all three islands is essential for the survival of Cayman’s native plants and species. Through our Land Reserve fund which are donations earmarked for land purchase we have been able to establish nine nature reserves and have secured a combined five percent of land mass of all three Cayman Islands for the purpose of conservation.
HISTORY
Our historic programmes focus on preserving sites deemed historically significant. The Trust has saved 12 historically important sites through purchase or donation. These sites include the Mission House, Fort George and the Old Savannah School House to name but a few, and you can visit each of these sites and take a step back into our islands’ history.
centuries the blues were decimated
by development, animals, people and cars and by 2001 less than 25 were estimated to remain in the wild, making them critically endangered. In response to this urgent problem, the Blue Iguana Recovery programme was started and continues to be run by the National Trust. In 1990, with the help of local and international partners, 30 blue iguanas from the wild populations and others donated by zoos were used to start
the recovery programme. Relying on support from sponsors, programme partners and many dedicated volunteers, the long term goal was to restore a
wild population of about 1,000 animals, sufficient for the blues to remain viable in the long term. In 2012, the Blue
Iguana took a formal step back from extinction when the International Union for Conservation of Nature down listed
the Blues from its critically endangered red list to endangered. This programme reached a milestone on 23 July, 2018, when the one thousandth Blue was released back into the wild. The Blue Iguana Recovery Programme is now moving into phase two whereby more funding is required for research to ensure that we can maintain the genetic diversity that is essential for the survival of this species.
Banana Orchids are Cayman’s National Flower
Protecting our mangroves
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EDUCATION
Our education programmes cater to a broad cross spectrum of residents and visitors. We give presentations in school, lead class field trips and educate the public through a wide range of activities including birding hikes and historic walking tours. We also offer exciting lectures and numerous outreach events which open a world of knowledge and discovery.
CONSERVATION
We conduct scientific field research on Cayman’s native and indigenous species to further the body of knowledge about these unique islands and to monitor
the populations of plants and animals that call these islands home. Some
of our sites also protect threatened habitats. Our blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi) once numbered in the tens of thousands. Grand Cayman’s largest native land animal, they grow to over five feet long and over 25lbs. Over the
Cayman Parrots are our National Bird