CLEARWATER, Fla. — On Sept. 7, in celebration of International Manatee Day, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced a new partnership called the Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance (WCMA).
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The alliance is an international network that will link strategic partners across the Caribbean region to collaborate on conservation, community engagement, and research that will help manatees.
Their mission is to ensure a healthy future for manatees and their coastal ecosystems and the species’ ecological, cultural, and economic significance for future generations.
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“Manatee populations are listed as endangered or vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but for some local governments, their range population is considered critically endangered,” according to Alvarez-Aleman Caribbean research director at Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute. “The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species™ evaluates species by severity of threat from ‘least concern’ to ‘extinct.’”
The goals of the Alliance include:
- Establishing and maintaining a robust network of manatee experts and stakeholders who comprehensively support American manatee conservation efforts in each Caribbean 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.
- Enhancing manatee conservation capacity in the Caribbean will ultimately strengthen the capacity of countries and stakeholders to effectively conserve manatees, protect their habitats, and promote sustainable coastal management practices that benefit manatees and coastal ecosystems.
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- Expanding scientific research focused on the American manatee aims to bridge knowledge gaps and establish the threats they face so that actions and management can be taken that will help their long-term survival and well-being.
- Strengthening the rescue, rehabilitation, and release capabilities in order to ultimately contribute to rebuilding local populations.
For more information about the Wider Caribbean Alliance and the goals of this partnership, click here.
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