Partners in Conservation
Learn about the Zoo’s financial commitment to holistic conservation efforts in Central Africa.
Manatees in the caribbean need our help.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute have joined forces to create the Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance (WCMA), an international network linking strategic partners across the Caribbean region to collaborate on conservation, community engagement and research.
The Alliance aims to secure a healthy future for manatees and their coastal ecosystems and ensure the species’ ecological, cultural, and economic significance for future generations.
why we're joining forces
The Greater Caribbean region provides essential habitats for manatees, including shallow coast waters, rivers, freshwater springs, estuaries and seagrass beds, which are vital for their support and reproduction. Manatees are found in 20 countries throughout the Caribbean, including the United States. However, there are many issues that negatively impact manatees, including habitat loss, poaching, entanglement in fishing gear, watercraft collisions, and climate change.
The species are listed as endangered or vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species™, but, for some local governments, their range population is considered critically-endangered.
The WCMA will provide an international network for those regions to partner with in the name of conservation, community engagement, and research benefiting manatees.
Threats to Manatees in the Caribbean
Manatee conservation in the wider Caribbean is challenging due to the species' presence across multiple island nations, continental nations, and territories, with factors such as language, culture, economic and political environment acting as barriers and debilitating efforts.
- Boat collision
- Poaching
- Interaction with fishing operation and gears
- Habitat loss and degradation
- Pollution
Goals
United in our mission, our organization is dedicated to protecting the manatee populations of the Greater Caribbean by advancing conservation efforts, fostering regional collaboration, promoting sustainable practices, and empowering local communities.
Goal 1: Maintain a robust network of manatee experts and stakeholders.
Our first goal is to establish and maintain a robust network of manatee experts and stakeholders that comprehensively support Greater Caribbean manatee conservation efforts in each country, including building relationships and connecting members, developing a structured framework, advocating for policy changes, legal protections and sustainable management practices that benefit manatees and their habitats.
- Build relationships and connect members through collaborative projects, workshops, and events
- Develop a structured framework for the alliance, including governance structures, decision-making processes, funding mechanisms, and communication protocols
- Advocate for policy changes, legal protections, and sustainable management practices that benefit manatees and their habitats.
- Celebrate achievements, milestones, and successful conservation outcomes within the Alliance.
Goal 2: Strengthen the capacity of countries and stakeholders to conserve manatees.
Our second goal: Enhance manatee conservation capacity in the Caribbean through various strategies, which will ultimately strengthen the capacity of countries and stakeholders to effectively conserve manatees, protect their habitats, and promote sustainable coastal management practices to benefit manatees and coastal systems.
- Create manatee action plans at national and regional levels.
- Provide training and mentoring opportunities for conservation professionals, researchers, and students in the Caribbean.
- Develop and implement awareness campaigns, educational programs, and outreach initiatives to raise public awareness.
Goal 3: Expand research focused on manatees needs and threats.
Our third goal: Expand scientific research focused on the Greater Caribbean manatee aiming to bridge existing knowledge gaps. Overall, these research endeavors aim to enhance our understanding of Greater Caribbean manatees, their ecological needs, and the various threats and challenges they face, ultimately guiding evidence-based conservation actions and management decisions for their long-term survival and wellbeing.
- Genetic diversity, population structure, and evolution history.
- Assessing abundance, distribution, and habitat usage with the use of classic methods and novel techniques.
- Identifying threats from stranding and mortality data.
- Health status of manatee populations and understand their interconnectedness between manatee health and ecosystem health.
- Direct and indirect impacts of climate change on manatees in the Greater Caribbean.
Goal 4: Contribute to rebuilding local manatee populations.
Our fourth goal: Strengthen the rescue, rehabilitation, and release capabilities for the Greater Caribbean through initiatives and actions that will improve the effectiveness, sustainability, and capacity of rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts for Greater Caribbean manatees, ultimately contributing to rebuilding the local populations.
- Identify locations for new rescue and rehabilitation centers and upgrade existing facilities
- Implement monitoring programs to track the adaptation and survival of manatees post-release.
- Establish an emergency fund to provide financial support rescue operations, medical care, rehabilitation efforts, and release activities
- Develop and conduct training programs for local staff, veterinarians, and volunteers on best practices for manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and release protocols.
- Facilitating consultation with international experts.
Let's Get Started.
“By fostering partnerships and raising awareness, the Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance will inspire collective action and empower communities to become stewards of their natural heritage. As we face unprecedented challenges such as habitat loss, pollution, and climate change, the work of the WCMA has never been more critical."
- Dra. Nataly Castelblanco-Martinez, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Mexico
