Guyana signs on to a new roadmap to save the jaguar — In an unprecedented global commitment to saving the jaguar, key jaguar range states and leading international conservation organisations joined together to launch the Jaguar 2030 Conservation Roadmap for the Americas. Belize and Suriname are also participating countries in this initiative. 

Shark conservation project continues in St. Maarten — As part of Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) Save our Sharks Project a second tiger shark has been tagged with a satellite tracking device in the territorial waters of St. Maarten.

Puerto Rico’s birds after Hurricane Maria — Although two years of data from a single CBC provides only a sliver of the overall picture, there are grounds to be cautiously optimistic about Puerto Rican birds after Maria and Irma.  Moreover, the recovery appears to be largely consistent with those of earlier well-documented hurricanes, such as Hugo in 1989. Scientists are already studying the impact of Irma and Maria, which will further improve our understanding of the impact of hurricanes on Caribbean birds.

United Arab Emirates provides additional funding for renewable energy projects in the Caribbean — The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation today announced at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019 the launch of the third cycle of the US$50 million UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund, with funding allocated to projects delivered in Jamaica, Cuba, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago.

Jamaica’s ban of single-use plastics, explained —  this article from teh Jamaica Observer looks specifically at what is and is not permitted, and outline the process of applying for an approval to manufacture or use single use plastics.

Large-scale land, water remapping project to get underway in Guyana — As it embarks on a project to remap the entire country, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) is establishing a Hydrographic Surveying Unit to deal with a range of features including those related to offshore exploration. According to Chief Executive Officer of the GL&SC, Trevor Benn, Guyana has not been remapped in close to six decades – the 1960s to be exact.

A review of the major environmental news of 2018 from the Cayman Islands —From the earliest times, the natural environment has shaped the way we live in Cayman Islands. Today, as the islands grow and develop, our lands and our seas and the creatures that depend on them show their resilience even as threats to their existence increase. Cayman 27’s Joe Avary looks back at the year that was for the natural environment.

[Image: Rustom Seegopaul]