Canopy Development LLC

East Caicos is an 18,000-acre island that is part of the chain of islands that makes up the greater Turks & Caicos Islands and is currently undeveloped. In addition to a spectacular natural landscape and marine environment, it also has a rich history. Although uninhabited at the moment, East Caicos has in the past served as the home for the Lucayan Indians and Bermudan salt rakers as well as the East Caicos Company, which exported sisal, salt, and bat guano and established a worker village on one corner of the island. It was also the site of the shipwreck of the Slaveship Trouvadore on the north shore of the island. Although the story of this event begins tragically with the capture of 192 Africans to be sold in the Cuban slave market, it ends with the emancipation of these people due to the effort made by the inhabitants of the Turks and Caicos Islands. What remains today are pristine beaches, thriving marine habitats, salt ponds and even rolling hills and dramatic cliffs along the coast. Canopy has proposed the conservation and sustainable development of East Caicos with the Government of the TCI and maintains an interest in seeing this unique and valuable resource sustainably developed with a minimal footprint and formally preserved.

Canopy's proposal for development began with a goal of preserving over 90% of the island in its natural state. The scale of the island means that preservation of such a large percentage of the land does not sacrifice the ability to create a world-class development based on its spectacular natural features. In our model, the local ecosystems that make this environment so attractive are to be maintained, while at the same time preservation of the larger natural systems, such as the coral reefs, sea turtle habitats, and fisheries, will ensure that this remains an asset at the global scale as well. In addition to preserving the existing ecosystems and habitats, steps will be taken to remediate and enhance the environment based on its natural historical patterns. In keeping with the traditional land use pattern, Canopy's plan calls for a small village that would be concentrated around the area that was once home to the workers village. As it had been in the past, this area will be designed to serve as the hub of activity and as a base for accessing the unparalleled natural features East Caicos has to offer.

Master Plan