UNITED NATIONS EP Distr. LIMITED United Nations UNEP(DEPI)/CAR WG.31/INF.5 Environment 16 April 2008 Programme Original: ENGLISH Fourth Meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) to the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) in the Wider Caribbean Region Gosier, Guadeloupe, France, 2 - 5 July 2008 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE WEST INDIAN MANATEE CARIBBEAN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME CEP TECHNICAL REPORT 2007 REGIONAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE WEST INDIAN MANATEE (TRICHECHUS MANATUS) Compiled by: Ester Quintana-Rizzo John E. Reynolds III Cover page: Manatee (Trichechus manatus) © Manatee Program, Mote Marine Laboratory ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this document was possible with the help of many volunteers, interns, and staff at Mote Marine Laboratory. We are extremely grateful to Ronald Murphy who volunteered a large portion of his time to create the maps for each country. Yaira Osborne, Kristen Weiss, and Doris Yu provided much help developing the maps and double-checking geographical locations. Kristen Weiss, Lateesha Hektner, and Dawn Renee contributed helpful comments in the edits of the manuscript. Individuals from several countries throughout the Caribbean provided guidance for many portions of the document. We would like to acknowledge their collaboration and the time they freely devoted to help. Many people generously provided access to unpublished information and/or commented on drafts. Those colleagues are: Karla Aparicio, Nicole Auil, Marie-Lys Bacchus, Idelisa Bonnelly de Calventi, Carolina Mattosinho de Carvalho Alvite, Dalila Caicedo- Herrera, Nataly Casteblanco, Maribel Chamorro Monjarrez, Haydee Dominguez Tejo, Robert Ford, Heidy Garcia, Alexander Gómez, Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske, Franklin Herrera, Suzanne Holguin, Ignacio Jiménez, Jalaudin Khan, Oscar Machuca, Adda Manzanilla, Toni Marshett, Benjamin Morales-Vela, Antonio Mignucci-Giannoni, León David Olivera-Gómez, Alejandro Ortega-Argueta, Jannet Adriana Padilla, Regis Pinto, James Reid, Lenin Riquelme, Claudia Rodriguez, Marta Rodriguez, Aldemaro Romero, Kherson Ruiz, José Antonio Santos Mariño, Malena Sarlo, Caryn Self-Sullivan, and Angeline Valentine. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY People over the world believe that marine mammals represent important resources of aesthetic, recreational, ecological, and economic significance. Considered in this way, people and governments have wisely encouraged sound management and conservation of marine mammals. Certainly, this is the case for manatees in the Wider Caribbean. This report recognizes the good work being done to study and conserve manatees in this region, but notes where efforts could be improved and makes suggestions about ways to move forward in the short and long terms. The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) ranges from the southeastern United States to northeastern South America, including Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Greater Antilles. West Indian manatees are present in twenty countries of the Wider Caribbean. As aquatic herbivores, they occupy a specialized niche in the ecosystem. This factor, along with their life history attributes (e.g., long lifespan, slow reproductive rate) make manatees susceptible to over-exploitation and environmental changes. Heavily hunted in the past, they have always played an important role in the folklore and traditions of indigenous people. Ecologically, manatees may serve as cultivation grazers, thus stimulating new growth and nutritional value of seagrasses and other aquatic vegetation. The West Indian manatee has been identified by government and experts from the region as one of the priority protected species of the Wider Caribbean region. Globally manatees have also received protected status under the IUCN Red List where they have been placed as vulnerable. With the adoption in 1990 of the Cartagena’s Convention Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) and in 1991 its lists of protected species, manatees and the rest of marine mammals in the region, were identified as requiring total protection In 1995 and under the framework of SPAW, the first Regional Management Plan for the species was developed by the Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The overall objective of the Plan was to serve as a framework for the conservation of manatees and their habitat in the region. However, to be optimally effective, such plans require regular updating to reflect the current status of and threats to the species. To achieve this end, this, the second version of the plan, was generated. Objectives and structure of the report The primary objectives of this document are to: (a) present an overview of the status of scientific knowledge, legislation, and conservation efforts in each country where West Indian manatees are found throughout the Caribbean, and (b) provide short- and long-term recommendations for management and conservation. The document is divided into four major sections: 1. An introduction that includes a review of taxonomy, general biology, and general status of manatees in the region. 2. A review of the status of manatees in each range country (including Puerto Rico) where they are found. Specifically, the review considers (a) manatee distribution and abundance, (b) threats and impediments to conservation, (c) the socio-economic significance of the species to local communities, and (d) legislation and conservation measures. i 3. Suggested short- and long-term recommendations for research and conservation in the region. 4. Essential conservation and research actions needed in specific countries. The review of the current status of manatees in the 20 range countries was complicated by the fact that most recent information related to manatees outside of Florida has not been published in peer-reviewed journals. In fact, most available information tends to be anecdotal and/or is found in unpublished reports, abstract meetings, theses, newspaper articles, or presentations in which quality control is uncertain. To verify the accuracy of such information as much as possible, experts from each country were involved and consulted. In many cases, we relied on personal communications or anecdotal accounts; as a result, considerable uncertainty exists regarding the status and distribution of manatees in many countries. Details of our sources including references, contributors, and reviewers are listed in full at the back of the report. Current status of the West Indian manatee The review indicates that the status, distribution, infrastructural support, and conservation of manatees vary widely among the countries of the Wider Caribbean. As noted, in some countries, information is largely anecdotal, but in a few others, empirical data collected over many years are available to inform management decisions. Since publication of the original Regional Management Plan for manatees in 1995, some countries have initiated new programmes or projects that have started to contribute useful insights, but in others, no new information is available. In most parts of the species range, the population status of manatees is unknown, population sizes have never been estimated, and population trends are uncertain, although local and regional experts suggest that numbers in many countries may be declining at present. Population “estimates” (not true estimates, as many are based on hunches and guesses), developed as part of a review conducted to evaluate the status of sirenians for the Red List (World Conservation Union-IUCN), indicate that manatee population sizes may range from approximately 10 (the Bahamas) to 3400 (Florida) individuals, with most being in the 100-500 range. The number of manatees in the Wider Caribbean region, including Brazil and Florida, may be in the neighborhood of 9,000 animals. We reiterate that this figure is based on data of highly variable quality (or no data at all) and should be considered as only a crude approximation. Manatees face similar threats throughout their range, which include habitat degradation and loss, watercraft collisions, incidental catch/accidental take in fishing gear, pollution, human disturbance, natural disasters, and hunting. Although hunting of manatees is illegal, they are hunted in many areas for meat, oil, amulets, and other products, and on a more restricted basis as a socio-cultural activity. Although threats due to hunting are diminishing in some areas, all other threats appear to be increasing in most areas. Pollution from agriculture and mining was consistently noted in reports from Central American countries. Manatee deaths as a result of boat strikes have been documented in places such as Florida, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. ii Efforts to conserve manatees at national and regional levels Manatees cross certain international borders (e.g., Mexico and Belize), so coordinated regional efforts are needed to complement and supplement those in particular countries. This need becomes highlighted as one considers that the number of manatees thought to exist in certain individual countries may be too small for the population there to have a high probably of long-term survival, but the combined populations among several nearby countries may provide a better guarantee of survival, if those populations interbreed. Outside of the United States (Florida), the population of manatees in southeastern Mexico and Belize is likely to be the largest. In that regard, safeguarding