Turks and Caicos is home to an extraordinary marine and terrestrial environment, which serves as the primary driver of the tourist and luxury development industries. Our most popular tour, the Snorkeling and Conch Cruise, focuses on enjoying the Turks & Caicos wildlife. On the island of Providenciales, however, continuing development has begun to have a significant influence. Caicos Dream Tours is working to do its part in helping minimize the impact humans have on the ecosystem by participating in cleaning up the islands, particularly Iguana Island.
Why Is Iguana Island So Special?
Iguana Island, formerly known as Little Water Cay, is home to the few Rock Iguanas that remain in existence. These iguanas are classified as endangered, so it is crucial that the residents, as well as tourists, do everything they can to prevent harm to these animals or their ecosystems.
Maintaining Iguana Island
Enock hauls a bag of waste.
In the past year, approximately 2.7 million dollars has been spent to help maintain Iguana Island with various projects like removing trees that are harmful to the iguanas, cleaning up trash, and so much more. The National Trust, which is spearheading many of these clean-up projects, has become great allies with CDT in preserving the islands’ beauty. CDT is also working on getting their boat captain a certification that will equip them with a greater understanding of the ecosystem so they can educate guests about how to avoid harming the iguanas.
Caption: Enock (left) of Caicos Dream Tours with Simon Busuttil (right), Director and Advisor with National Trust during one of the recent Iguana Island clean ups.
How Else Is Caicos Dream Tours Making a Difference?
Caicos Dream Tours wants to help preserve the island and encourage others to do so as well. Being environmentally conscious is no longer an option; it is a necessity if we want future generations to enjoy these beautiful islands.
CDT No Longer Serves Conch
Conch has long been a popular food served in Turks and Caicos. However, for a period of time, there was a scarcity of conch, and Caicos Dream Tours made the decision to no longer serve conch as part of the meals and snacks.
Recycling Efforts
Litter on the beach that will be recycled.
Caicos Dream Tours has partnered with various local recycling companies to have recycling picked up 2-3 times each week. The rum punch recipe requires the usage of aluminum cans for orange juice, pineapple juice, etc. and we understand that these items must be recycled to avoid filling up the landfills even more.
Monthly Beach Clean Ups
Beach clean up in front of Alexandra Resort.
Caicos Dream Tours is located in front of the Alexandra Resort and they have a monthly clean up scheduled where CDT employees volunteer their time to remove waste from the beach. This is essential not only to keep guests safe and able to enjoy the beach, but to prevent trash from being washed into the ocean where it can harm marine life. Caicos Dream Tours has also teamed up with the local Rotary Club on the island to clean up the streets near the beaches several times each month.
Working Towards a More Beautiful Turks and Caicos
Teamwork.
Caicos Dream Tours encourages other businesses on the islands to participate in cleans ups and implement ways to reduce the impact on the ecosystems and environment in general. It is critical that we don’t take the beauty of the area for granted and do what we can to protect it for future generations. To discover ways to get involved, contact your local Rotary Club, the National Trust, or reach out to CDT to volunteer for the next clean up!