WEST INDIAN MANATEES
THE GENTLE GIANTS OF BELIZE
West Indian Mantee
Perhaps you already know that manatees are marine mammals that are wam-blooded, nurse their young with milk, breathe air, and have hair. Up close and personal, it is difficult to understand how these homely creatures could possibly be responsible for the mermaid legends of sailors lore. But with a puppy-dog face, rotund body, flat and rounded tail, and deterous paddle-shaped forelimbs, the elusive manatee makes up for lack of beauty with charismatic curiosity.
Commonly referred to as the "gentle giants of the sea", manatees are large and bulky weighing (1,600-1,200 pounds). Along with their Indo-Pacific cousin, the dugong, manatees belong to the taxonomic order Sirenia, a group of four species that represents the only herbivorous marine mammals living today. There are three species of manatees: The Amazonian manatee, the West African manatee, and the West Indian manatee. The two subspecies of the West Indian manatee are the Florida manatee, and the Antillean manatee.
Belize has long been considered the last stronghold for West Indian manatees in Central America and the Caribbean. West Indian manatees are found year-round in Florida, are sparsely distributed throughout Central America and the Caribbean, and occur as far south as Brazil. The Antillean sub-species (which excludes the Florida animals) is red-listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as vulnerable, in continuing to decline, with severely fragmented populations. The U.N. Caribbean Environmental Program considers Antillean manatees an endangered and protected species of regional concern.
With a relatively short coastline extending from the Gulf of Honduras in the south to Chetumal Bay in the north, Belize reports the greatest density of Antillean manatees in the Caribbean region, perhaps because of the extensive sea grass, mangrove, coastal, and riverine habitat within the Belize Barrier Reef Lagoon system or perhaps because manatees have been protected by local laws since the 1930's and are currently listed as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1981. But, more likely, it's because the people of Belize exhibit a strong conservation ethic and care deeply about their wildlife and other natural resources.
MANATEE CONSERVATIONS
The governmental agency charged with manatee issues in Belize is the Conservation Division of the Forestry Department. Belize has designated several wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas for the benefit of manatees and other marine life, including Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary, Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve South Water Caye Marine Reserve, Burden Canal (part of the Belize River System), and Port Honduras Marine Reserve. Belize was also one of the first Caribbean countries to establish a National Manatee Working Group and a National Stranding Network and to adopt a Manatee Recovery Plan. Many Belizeans, including manatee researcher Nicole Auil (Wildlife Trust Belize), have dedicated years of work to a country wide research program, aerial surveys and the stranding network through Coastal Zone Management Institute (www.coastalzonebelize.org)
With the help of both local and international NGO's, the Coastal Zone Management Institute and the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network have successfully rescued and rehabilitated four orphaned manatees: Hercules, Woody, Tiny and Buttons. Hercules, Woody, and Tiny have been released back into the wild in Southern Lagoon wildlife Sanctuary and Buttons in the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Orphaned manatees in Belize are cared for by wildtracks in Sarteneja, where volunteer positions are often available.
CONTINUED THREATS
Despite extensive local and national efforts, manatees in Belize are still increasingly threatened by anthropogenic impacts. including poaching boat strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and habitat degradation. The most significant threats appear to be boat strikes and destruction of habitat. Because manatees are elusive and endangered and have slow reproductive rates, long term studies in Belize are necessary to evaluate and monitor their realtively healthy status and develop practical conservation plans to ensure continued survival of the population, and ultimately, the subspecies.
One such study, in the Drowned Cayes area near Belize City, focuses on manatee ecology and behavior. The Drowned Cayes area has long been designated as an important manatee habitat, but it is being impacted by rising tourist numbers. Data provided by the Earthwatch project were influential including a portion of the Drowned Cayes in Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary (SCWS), a 8,970 acre protected manatee area and the premier location for manatee tours. The SCWS lobbying efforts being in the early 1990's and were spearheaded by Chocolate Heredia, of Caye Caulker. Another long-term project is based in the southern Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary.
THE FUTURE
But designating protected areas is just eh beginning; much work is still in progress as diverse stakeholders attempt to come to a consensus on setting and enforcing rules and regulations for the sanctuary. The reserve is co-managed by Friends of Swallow Caye (an NGO founded by Chocolate in 1998) and the Department of Natural Reserouces.
Other local NGO's involved in manatee conservation and education include the Hugh Parkey Foundation for Marine Awareness and Education in Belize City, SWEET in Sarteneja, Green Reef in San Pedro, Friends of Nature (SEA Belize) in Placencia, and the Toledo institute for Development and the Environment (TIDE) in Punta Gorda.
Commonly referred to as the "gentle giants of the sea", manatees are large and bulky weighing (1,600-1,200 pounds). Along with their Indo-Pacific cousin, the dugong, manatees belong to the taxonomic order Sirenia, a group of four species that represents the only herbivorous marine mammals living today. There are three species of manatees: The Amazonian manatee, the West African manatee, and the West Indian manatee. The two subspecies of the West Indian manatee are the Florida manatee, and the Antillean manatee.
Belize has long been considered the last stronghold for West Indian manatees in Central America and the Caribbean. West Indian manatees are found year-round in Florida, are sparsely distributed throughout Central America and the Caribbean, and occur as far south as Brazil. The Antillean sub-species (which excludes the Florida animals) is red-listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as vulnerable, in continuing to decline, with severely fragmented populations. The U.N. Caribbean Environmental Program considers Antillean manatees an endangered and protected species of regional concern.
With a relatively short coastline extending from the Gulf of Honduras in the south to Chetumal Bay in the north, Belize reports the greatest density of Antillean manatees in the Caribbean region, perhaps because of the extensive sea grass, mangrove, coastal, and riverine habitat within the Belize Barrier Reef Lagoon system or perhaps because manatees have been protected by local laws since the 1930's and are currently listed as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1981. But, more likely, it's because the people of Belize exhibit a strong conservation ethic and care deeply about their wildlife and other natural resources.
MANATEE CONSERVATIONS
The governmental agency charged with manatee issues in Belize is the Conservation Division of the Forestry Department. Belize has designated several wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas for the benefit of manatees and other marine life, including Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary, Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve South Water Caye Marine Reserve, Burden Canal (part of the Belize River System), and Port Honduras Marine Reserve. Belize was also one of the first Caribbean countries to establish a National Manatee Working Group and a National Stranding Network and to adopt a Manatee Recovery Plan. Many Belizeans, including manatee researcher Nicole Auil (Wildlife Trust Belize), have dedicated years of work to a country wide research program, aerial surveys and the stranding network through Coastal Zone Management Institute (www.coastalzonebelize.org)
With the help of both local and international NGO's, the Coastal Zone Management Institute and the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network have successfully rescued and rehabilitated four orphaned manatees: Hercules, Woody, Tiny and Buttons. Hercules, Woody, and Tiny have been released back into the wild in Southern Lagoon wildlife Sanctuary and Buttons in the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Orphaned manatees in Belize are cared for by wildtracks in Sarteneja, where volunteer positions are often available.
CONTINUED THREATS
Despite extensive local and national efforts, manatees in Belize are still increasingly threatened by anthropogenic impacts. including poaching boat strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and habitat degradation. The most significant threats appear to be boat strikes and destruction of habitat. Because manatees are elusive and endangered and have slow reproductive rates, long term studies in Belize are necessary to evaluate and monitor their realtively healthy status and develop practical conservation plans to ensure continued survival of the population, and ultimately, the subspecies.
One such study, in the Drowned Cayes area near Belize City, focuses on manatee ecology and behavior. The Drowned Cayes area has long been designated as an important manatee habitat, but it is being impacted by rising tourist numbers. Data provided by the Earthwatch project were influential including a portion of the Drowned Cayes in Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary (SCWS), a 8,970 acre protected manatee area and the premier location for manatee tours. The SCWS lobbying efforts being in the early 1990's and were spearheaded by Chocolate Heredia, of Caye Caulker. Another long-term project is based in the southern Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary.
THE FUTURE
But designating protected areas is just eh beginning; much work is still in progress as diverse stakeholders attempt to come to a consensus on setting and enforcing rules and regulations for the sanctuary. The reserve is co-managed by Friends of Swallow Caye (an NGO founded by Chocolate in 1998) and the Department of Natural Reserouces.
Other local NGO's involved in manatee conservation and education include the Hugh Parkey Foundation for Marine Awareness and Education in Belize City, SWEET in Sarteneja, Green Reef in San Pedro, Friends of Nature (SEA Belize) in Placencia, and the Toledo institute for Development and the Environment (TIDE) in Punta Gorda.
