Newly-Founded Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance Seeks to Secure Healthy Future for International Manatees

The Alliance will gather experts from 20 Caribbean countries to make informed decisions about manatee conservation

Photo credit: Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de la Habana

CLEARWATER, FL (Sept. 6, 2024) – In celebration of International Manatee Day, Sept. 7, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announce a new partnership they are cofounding called the Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance (WCMA), an international network, which will link strategic partners across the Caribbean region to collaborate on conservation, community engagement, and research benefiting manatees.

The WCMA’s mission is to secure a healthy future for manatees and their coastal ecosystems and ensure the species’ ecological, cultural, and economic significance for future generations.

“This new Alliance will help manatee experts and conservation leaders sit at the same table to discuss the recovery of the species,” said Anmari Alvarez-Aleman, Caribbean research director at Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) and a leader of the Alliance. “Through the integration of these regional leaders, and having those leaders in coastal communities and government come together, conservation initiatives can be put into practice and lead to impactful results.”

Manatees are found in 20 countries throughout the Caribbean, including the United States (Puerto Rico), the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, La Hispaniola, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, and northern Brazil. There are two subspecies of American manatees (Trichechus manatus) found throughout the West Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean: the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and Greater Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus).

The Caribbean region provides essential habitats for these manatees, including shallow coast waters, rivers, freshwater springs, estuaries and seagrass beds, which are vital for their support and reproduction.

However, there are many issues that negatively impact manatees, including habitat loss, poaching, entanglement in fishing gear, watercraft collisions, and climate change.

“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. “The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species™ evaluates species by severity of threat from ‘least concern’ to ‘extinct.’”

“The Wider Caribbean Manatee Alliance (WCMA) will be of great importance in the conservation of the American manatee throughout the Caribbean basin,” said Antonio Mignucci-Giannoni, director of Centro de Conservación de Manatíes del Caribe. “We are eager to contribute to and support its development and implementation.”

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, 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 ecosystems.
Expanding scientific research focused on the American manatee, aiming to bridge knowledge gaps and establish the threats they face in order to take actions and management that will help their long-term survival and wellbeing.
Strengthening the rescue, rehabilitation, and release capabilities in order to ultimately contribute to rebuilding local populations.

“The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is proud to partner with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and to co-lead the new Wider Caribbean Marine Alliance. Each partner and range country offers unique expertise to help ensure the success of this impactful alliance. From applying our skills in manatee care, veterinary services, and rehabilitation to providing financial support and developing engaging educational content, the Columbus Zoo plays a vital role. This is such a natural partnership as the initiative aligns with the Columbus Zoo’s mission of ‘Empowering People. Saving Wildlife.’ We are excited to work with our partners on this collaborative effort to increase public awareness and understanding of manatees and help protect the future of these amazing animals,” said Columbus Zoo and Aquarium President and CEO Tom Schmid.

The Columbus Zoo has supported manatee conservation projects worldwide and is a part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). The MRP is a cooperative group of non-profit, private, state, and federal entities who work together to rescue, rehabilitate, release, and monitor sick and injured manatees. Through this partnership, the Columbus Zoo serves a second-stage rehabilitation facility for manatees, offering temporary housing, food, and medical care until they are ready to return to Florida. Since 1999, when the Columbus Zoo joined the MRP program, the Zoo has moved 37 rehabilitated manatees back to Florida, where they returned to their native waters.

“Clearwater Marine Aquarium is known as the first responders of the ocean, from research to rescue to monitoring in our own local Florida waters and international waters like Belize, Cuba and the Dominican Republic,” said Joe Handy, CEO of Clearwater Marine Aquarium. “We are ready to protect this flagship species, and we are proud to build an alliance with Columbus Zoo.”

CMARI’s team of experts tackles global conservation challenges related to marine megafauna, habitats, and climate change, with a focus on flagship species and community-based conservation for endangered species like manatees, sea turtles, and North Atlantic right whales. As a partner in the MRP, our scientists assist with manatee rescues, rehabilitation, and post-release monitoring in Florida, ensuring successful adaptation. Since 1997, CMARI has conducted research in Belize, contributing to the conservation of Caribbean manatees, with ongoing projects and partnerships in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Cuba.

With the combined expertise of both the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Columbus Zoo, this partnership will facilitate the expansion of manatee conservation efforts throughout the Caribbean, yielding significant benefits for both the species and coastal communities.

For more information about the Wider Caribbean Alliance and the goals of this partnership, please visit the Columbus Zoo’s website.

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About Clearwater Marine Aquarium: Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working marine rescue center dedicated to inspiring the human spirit through leadership in education, research, rescue, rehabilitation and release. With a mission to preserve the environment and its marine life, CMA is home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, a nurse shark and more. Through Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, CMA conducts important global research focused on protecting manatees, North Atlantic right whales and sea turtles. Major motion picture Dolphin Tale (2011) and its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) features the true stories of rescued resident dolphins Winter and Hope, inspiring millions around the world. The mission and potential to change people’s lives differentiates Clearwater Marine Aquarium from any other aquarium in the world.

About the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 600 species worldwide, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads by making a positive impact on people, wildlife, and wild places. The Zoo complex is a recreational and educational destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Club. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also manages The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a wildlife conservation organization with regional, national and global impact, annually supporting conservation and research projects locally and worldwide. For more information, please visit ColumbusZoo.org.

We believe in preserving our environment while inspiring the human spirit through leadership in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine life; environmental education; research; and conservation.

A Florida non-profit 501(c)(3) organization