The Department of Environment [DoE] has selected Cayman-based Cornwall Consulting as the project manager for the upcoming 2018/19 Green Iguana Cull Project following a competitive bidding process involving five firms.

The cull effort, the largest ever undertaken by the Cayman Islands Government, is due to get under way Monday, 29 October, with more than 340 registered Caymanians and local businesses participating. At this stage, each culler has pledged to round up a set quota of Green Iguanas in the first month for delivery to the George Town Landfill.

Cornwall Consulting, led by Karl Noble, will be responsible for accepting delivery of deceased Green Iguanas at the landfill and keeping count of the deliveries. The company is also tasked with paying the cullers for each deceased Green Iguana delivered. Payments will be made every two weeks.

Cornwall Consulting was chosen following the issuance of a request for proposals on 30 August, 2018 by the DoE and was selected by government’s procurement committee as the bid winner due to its strong record of financial management and accounting experience. Cornwall Consulting signed a contract to manage the 2018/19 Green Iguana Cull Project with the Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture & Housing on Friday, 19 October.

DoE Terrestrial Resources Unit Manager Fred Burton said Cornwall Consulting will subcontract with the registered cullers to ensure the Green Iguana cull operation runs smoothly. “Cornwall will manage adjustments to the initial culling quotas given to those registered cullers and will report regularly to the Green Iguana Cull Project Steering Committee. Information on how many Green Iguanas have been culled will be reported to DoE each day and we will release those numbers via our website (www.doe.ky) to the public and the media on a regular basis,” Mr. Burton said.

“The invasive Green Iguana population affects all Grand Cayman residents,” said Mr. Noble. “With DoE’s quantification of the Green Iguana population at 1.1 million to 1.6 million, and the prospect of significant increases over time, my firm felt strongly that we had to become involved to help solve this threat to our environment. We are encouraged that the DoE chose our firm and we believe that the resources exist locally to prevent the damage that would otherwise occur if this invasive species is left unchecked.”

Minister of Health, Environment, Housing and Culture, the Hon. Dwayne Seymour said he was looking forward to the commencement of this major undertaking on 29 October. “The 2018/19 Green Iguana Cull Project has the full support of the Cayman Islands Government,” Mr. Seymour said. “We’re pleased to see Caymanian cullers and Caymanian businesses benefitting directly from this effort.”
“A lot of behind-the-scenes work went into this project and DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie, Mr. Burton and their team deserve kudos for making it a reality,” added Ministry Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn.

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IMAGE: Male wild Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) in the Botanical Garden at Portoviejo, Ecuador – Wikipedia