With a permanent staff compliment of 37 employees the Department of Environment is divided into four (4) main sections.
Administration Section
The Administration Section handles much of the routine clerical work including accounting, filing, routing public inquires to the appropriate DOE staff, managing the front desk and providing word processing support to other members of staff.
Enforcement Section
The Enforcement Section works primarily with the enforcement of the Marine Conservation Law to ensure that Marine Park Regulations and other environmental laws are adhered to on a daily basis.
The Enforcement Section spends a significant proportion of their time conducting routine patrols of the marine environment. In cases of infractions of the law that require prosecution the Marine Enforcement Officers must assist in the preparation of case files for the Legal Department including collecting evidence, taking statements and attending Court.
The Marine Enforcement Section remains on standby 24 hours a day and is often called upon to assist in search and rescue operations for vessels or people in distress around Cayman waters.
Operations Section
The Operations Section deals extensively with the day-to-day maintenance of the Cayman Islands’ Marine Parks System, including the installation and routine maintenance of over 350 Public Moorings, Marine Park boundary markers and signs.
The Operations Section is also primarily responsible for the maintenance of the Department’s vehicles, boats and other technical equipment employed in all aspects of DOE work. Additionally the Operations Section staff provides field and logistical support to DOE research projects as well as functioning as the primary marine pollution response team for oil spills and other pollution events.
Research and Assessment Section
The Research and Assessment Section is responsible for the design and implementation of the Department’s research agenda with a main emphasis on research projects that deal with local management issues such as the conservation of local fisheries or other natural resources, as well as providing aquaculture support and development services.
In addition the Research Section also encompasses an Environmental Assessment section that provides technical advice and monitoring services to the Ministry and Planning Department to limit the impacts of development on the natural environment. With the assistance of the Administration Section for the processing of permits the Research Section also acts as Scientific Authority under CITES.
