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UPDATE - 28th MAY 2008 (download here)
UPDATE - 12th MAY 2008 (download here)
NEW IRONWOOD FOREST FAQ's (here)
IRONWOOD FOREST UPDATE (download here)
10208 Visitors to Site - 1034 Visitor Entries
I wish to add my name to those in support of rerouting, and reducing the size and speed limit of the proposed road, so that it does not cut across the Ironwood Forest, and I ask that the government undertakes discussions with local landowners towards establishing the Ironwood Forest as a protected area of national interest, for the enjoyment and education of all.
The Ironwood Forest is the last remaining fragment of Old George Town dry forest in Grand Cayman. The forest sits on a jagged limestone ridge of sharp, abrasive pinnacles. Moist air from the adjacent wetlands is trapped beneath the tree canopy, providing a warm and humid atmosphere ideally suited to the growth of a diverse range of plants and trees.
These unique environmental characteristics make this tiny patch of forest a stronghold for at least twenty critically endangered RED LISTED species of Cayman's plants and trees... and two special plants in particular...
Firstly, the magnificent, and critically endangered BROMELIAD, "Old George" - Hohenbergia caymanensis. Old George can grow to measure six feet across, and in the Ironwood forest, hundreds are to be found, squatting on the jagged rocks or perched precariously high in the trees above. These giants are truly spectacular - reminiscent of an age gone by - giving the Ironwood forest a tranquil, almost prehistoric ambiance.
Hidden in the wealth of greenery is another rare gem - the haunting Cayman Ghost Orchid. Similar to the precious plants which inspired the book "The Orchid Thief" and the film "Adaptation", for much of its life the Cayman Ghost Orchid goes unnoticed; an inconspicuous spiderlegs tangle of aerial roots gripping onto a rough tree trunk or rocky pinnacle. The Ghost Orchid is no shrinking-violet, however, when it comes to flowering - a strikingly beautiful and delicate creamy-white flower emerges, crowned with fragile spike-like petals.
A small population of Ghost Orchids is also to be found on an isolated and inaccessible area in the Mastic Reserve in the Northside of Grand Cayman, however, part of the wonder of the Ironwood Forest is that it survives right in the centre of George Town. Its unique situation, within walking distance of the George Town schools, puts the Ironwood forest right on the doorstep for hundreds of students and schoolchildren, affording them the opportunity to visit a forest unchanged for hundreds of years, and discover for themselves the plants and trees that the old timers depended on for food, medicine and for building their homes and boats.
A 2 x 2 lane highway is planned to cut a wide swath through the very centre of this fragile forest system. Despite this road running close to the schools, strangely, it is being planned as a high-speed 40mph system.
The planned road will further reduce this tiny habitat fragment, introducing weed species to the heart of the forest, and light and dry air into this humid system, drying the surrounding area and the plants like Old George and the Ghost Orchid, which thrive in the moist air. This is what biologists call an "EDGE EFFECT".
- Cayman has seen much development in recent years, and we all know that no one can stand in the way of progress... but what is progress?
- Gaining a road and at the expense of two unique species going EXTINCT is not progress.
- Gaining a road at the expense of our cultural heritage is not progress.
- Gaining a road at the expense of loosing a unique learning opportunity for ourselves and our children is not progress.
- If this road is essential, why not select a different route? If no other route is available, why not design the road as a scenic two-lane parkway, with a maximum speed of 20-25mph, skirting around the forest and delivering the traffic to the schools at a safe and steady rate? This would protect the forest and our children.