Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas

Description

Marking the most profound depths of the Caribbean Sea, the Cayman Trench is as deep as the K2 mountain is high and as long as the border of the United States. Along its northern edge lies the Cayman Ridge, stretching from the Sierra Maestra mountain range in Cuba to the Gulf of Honduras.  In that ridge emerge three Cayman islands, uplifted long ago by friction between the North American and the Caribbean tectonic plates: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman.

Little Cayman is the smallest (~ 26 sq km) and least developed of these Cayman Islands. Its 45 km of shoreline is made alternately of bluff limestone and ironshore, the latter of which is differentiated into reef, back-reef, lagoonal, shoal, and beach-ridge facies. Its true magic lies off this shoreline, in sea-grass lagoons, barrier reefs, patch reefs, and above all, the plunging sheer coral walls of the mountain under the sea.  Within a few hundred meters from shore, the mountain drops down to depths of 1000m – 2000m. The granodiorite shelf holds exuberant coral reefs leading to, and following down, the sheer wall.   This protected and still pristine geology harbours a rich and rare marine ecosystem that by most measures is beyond comparison to similar reefs in the Caribbean basin.  Little Cayman’s environment, with its Cayman Islands Government National Conservation Law designated marine park and protected areas, is a Mission Blue Hope Spot and is  recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.  The country is recognized by the Pew Cheritable Trust as one of only 17 ‘shark sanctuary’ countries in the world. 

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

The ongoing study and protection of Little Cayman’s endangered corals, sea turtles, sharks, and fish species means Little Cayman boasts robust populations of (marine) wildlife.   Governmental protection, strong ongoing scientific research, and minimal human impact mean there is hope for maintenance of this fragile ecosystem. The coral reefs of Little Cayman are among the best and healthiest in the Caribbean.  Local reefs contain healthy populations of megafauna seldom seen beyond our shores, e.g. sharks, stingrays, hawksbill turtles (critically endangered), green turtles (endangered)and loggerhead turtles (threatened), and numerous species of large grouper, all of which breed and thrive on our reefs and are protected within the country.  This thriving habitat also supports a large population of seabirds and reptiles.  The healthy protection and propagation of these species is abundant enough that there is belief their overflow is helping to re-populate areas beyond Cayman’s shores.  Cayman’s very culture is intricately linked to the sea.   The national motto being « He Hath Founded It Upon the Seas ».  This combination of pristine water, unique geology, high coral cover, diverse marine species, cultural awareness and low human impact is why Little Cayman carries phenomenal Outstanding Universal Value.

Nearly 75% (74.2%) of the shoreline, out to 45m deep, around Little Cayman is designated marine park and protected areas by the Cayman Islands Government.  The boundaries of this protected status start at the high tide mark on shore, and extend out to 150’ (45m) deep.  This is internationally significant and puts Little Cayman’s land and marine protected areas well above the UN’s suggested 30 x 30 goal – protect 30% by 2030.  If legally protected land and shoreline were combined, 47.4% of the land/sea shelf is protected. 

Criterion (vii): Little Cayman is geologically isolated and unique.  The land is the top of a mountain just piercing the sea’s surface.  The island is surrounded by shear, vertical marine walls that are marvellous spectacles in the clear sea waters.   These walls and the encompassing sea shelf, starting as shallow as 5m, support a biomass and biodiversity unrivalled in the Caribbean Sea. 

Criterion (ix): Little Cayman’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provide a rare example of successful ecological/biological management of coral reef ecosystems. The reef system is healthy and has been scientifically verified as showing signs of resiliency among coral species, as well as rebounding fish populations. Key species are abundant. Little Cayman’s MPAs represent almost 75% of the coastline and the stakeholder partnership between the government and community to protect Little Cayman’s reefs contributes to wider marine health, transcending national boundaries. The sustainability of Little Cayman’s MPAs are regionally important, underpinned by a diverse coral ecosystem and close cultural links to marine ecosystem resilience.

Criterion (x): Little Cayman supports a uniquely diverse marine ecosystem and protects the critically engendered Nassau grouper. Representative of the best in the Caribbean, 74.2% of Little Cayman is protected within Marine Protected Areas. Its unique marine features include: Mangrove Forests, Coastal seagrass flats with healthy populations of CITES listed and culturally important queen conch, fringing and patch reefs teaming with fish and invertebrates, and a fore-reef beginning as shallow as 5m and plunging vertically to dramatic depths. Within the protected areas are multiple-species of fish spawning aggregation sites, most importantly the critically endangered Nassau grouper (Epinephelus Striata) aggregation, which is the only remaining spawning aggregation site for this species in the Caribbean Sea. 

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

The geology of Little Cayman has been formed over millennia, and is unique to the western hemisphere.  The biodiversity of Little Cayman’s Marine Parks and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is still relatively intact, and under community-supported management intended to maintain ecosystem health despite numerous threats.  The economy of Little Cayman is heavily dependent on visitors using the marine environment, particularly SCUBA divers who travel thousands of miles to the island’s world-famous reefs.  The island’s MPAs are a mecca for underwater enthusiasts around the globe.   Most notably the unique Bloody Bay Wall within one of the Marine Reserves.  This geological marvel boasts a 90-degree shelf edge beginning as shallow as 5m and plunging vertically into the abyss well beyond diving limits. The MPAs (74.2% of the shoreline) are large enough and contiguous enough that the biomes protected will not suffer from fragmentation and include not only the coral reefs but mangrove forests, seagrass beds and other adjacent ecosystems that regulate nutrient and sediment inputs into the reef and are part of the habitat cycle of many of the species within the Marine Parks. These diverse marine habitats are well protected and represent the ideal of the Caribbean coastal marine ecosystems that are still able to maintain relatively healthy fish and invertebrate populations.  Past and on-going research by the Dept of Environment and the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) help with the healing and preservation of this critically important biome.  Both entities have been studying the ecosystems health and resiliency for decades, and a solid understanding of our strengths and weaknesses is backed up by many years of scientific data.  

Comparison with other similar properties

Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, Tubbataha Reef Natural Park, Great Barrier Reef, Aldabra Atoll, Ningaloo Reef.

There are only a few marine World Heritage Sites in the Caribbean region.  Little Cayman’s reef system is geologically and ecologically distinct. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is the only comparable regional site on the UNESCO Marine World Heritage list.   In comparison to the Healthy Reefs Initiative’s Mesoamerican Reef Report Card, Little Cayman’s 25 years of Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) surveys provide scientific data demonstrating how the absence of commercial fishing, run off, rivers, and relatively light pressure from tourism is helping to protect the islands’ reefs from the threats to reefs globally.   Local protections lend Little Cayman’s Marine Protected Areas the distinction necessary to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Little Cayman boasts a rare conservation success story in its 20+ years protecting the critically endangered Nassau grouper spawning site.  In this time Nassau grouper have experienced remarkable recovery. Little Cayman has also recently been recognised as a Dr Sylvia Earl Mission Blue Hope Spot.

Like a few similar non-regional World Heritage Sites, Little Cayman is a marine and bird sanctuary that continues to be a healthy habitat for nesting Hawksbill, Green and Loggerhead sea turtles, hundreds of species of fish, and rare tropical bird species, notably the Magnificent Frigatebird and the largest colony of Red Footed Booby birds in the Western Hemisphere.