When compared to some other countries that boast histories and structures dating back thousands of years, the Cayman Islands’ history may seem short. However, this does not make it any less worthy of protection, which is why the National Trust for the Cayman Islands exists.  

The role of the organisation is to step in “to preserve natural environments and places of historic significance in the Cayman Islands for present and future generations,” according to its mission statement. 

What if we had no National Trust? The outcome is not too hard to predict. Rampant development with little regard for the long-term effects has been a trademark of Cayman’s boom years, and without an organisation to step in and help raise awareness on the protection of nature and culture, one shudders to think how little of the Islands’ heritage may have been left.  

A society that has lost its history is like a boat that has lost its anchor. Without the work of the Trust it would not require a massive leap to assume that Grand Cayman would have lost every last bit of what once made it unique, and the Sister Islands would likely have followed suit soon after, as profit will always triumph over preservation unless there is an organisation to help push the preservation message. 

Cayman’s culture is being influenced by so many bigger and stronger cultures, whether through media or direct interaction, that without the work of the Trust, a culture that has already been eroded may well have been completely swept away as younger generations adopt more of the culture they are exposed to from outside rather than the culture of their forefathers. 

This is why a large part of the work the Trust engages in is based on education, not just preservation, with the emphasis on the youth of these Islands and the need for them to learn more about their own history and why it needs to be protected. 

In the absence of a National Conservation Law to protect and conserve areas and sites of importance, the only option open to the Trust if it wants to afford protection to a significant site is to purchase it on a willing buyer, willing seller basis on the open market. However, for an organisation that relies heavily on donations, this is a very tough task. The properties acquired in this way are held in trust for the benefit of the Cayman Islands to ensure the survival of culture and nature. 

Nature does indeed form a very important part of the work of the Trust, from the protection of the Booby Pond on Little Cayman to the preservation of the iconic Blue Iguana, which, had it not been for the work of the Trust and its volunteers, would probably have been a mere memory by now rather than the icon of conservation success that it has become over the last two decades.