The existence value of the Antillean manatee in the unprotected Hondo River (Mexico) as a fundamental component for its conservation

Corona-Figueroa, Mildred Fabiola; Ramírez, José Ney Ríos; Castelblanco‐Martínez, Delma Nataly; Vílchez-Mendoza, Sergio; Delgado-Rodríguez, Luis Diego

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126258

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The river users interviewed were unaware of these procedures or mentioned incorrect actions when strandings occur. This has also been reported in Río Hondo, Mexico (Corona-Figueroa et al, 2022). The lack of knowledge about reporting and attending to manatee strandings (see Table 1) may be due to the limited information that is shared, especially in remote areas far from the urban center of the protected area (Silva & Araújo, 2001); or when trying to communicate with the authorities by cellphone the phone numbers are outdated (M. F. Corona-Figueroa, pers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…While higher confidence level is commonly set, particularly in trials and experimental studies, due to the exploratory nature of this research, we considered it appropriate to assign a confidence level of 90%. This confidence level has been widely used in qualitative studies for instance in studies that documented the local perception and traditional ecological knowledge from riverside communities in Hondo River, Mexico (Corona-Figueroa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Community members only identified contamination threats and motorboat collisions during the participatory mapping. The lack of mention of the other threats by community members might be attributed to the fear of being implicated (Rodas-Trejo et al, 2012;Alvarez-Alemán et al, 2021;Corona-Figueroa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, it has shed light on the perception and local knowledge regarding the Antillean manatee in unprotected areas. In these areas, people acknowledge the challenges faced by the Antillean manatee and consider the species as a potential flagship species, thereby enhancing its value for ecotourism (Corona-Figueroa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceptions on the distribution, threats, strandings, and conservation of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the Río Dulce National Park, Izabal, Guatemala

Corona-Figueroa,

Cifuentes-Espinosa

2024

Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Mamm.

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The Antillean manatee in Guatemala faces multiple threats resulting from habitat loss and human interactions such as motorboat collisions and poaching. While some conservation efforts have been initiated in Río Dulce National Park (RDNP), there is a lack of studies examining the current perceptions of threats to the species. This knowledge gap may hinder the development of effective conservation strategies that consider both the species and local communities. Our objective was to analyze the perceptions of key local stakeholders concerning the Antillean manatee, including its distribution, threats, attention to strandings, and the current status of conservation in the protected area of RDNP. From July to October 2019, we conducted 50 semi-structured interviews with technicians and river users, such as fishermen and boat captains. Additionally, we held two workshops: one aimed at developing a participatory mapping exercise and another to validate the information. Each workshop was divided into two groups: one for technicians and another for river users. A total of 68 people participated in the workshops, the majority of respondents were male (n = 47), ranging in age from 19 to 71, and predominantly local to the area. Their activities in the river included fishing, biological monitoring, transportation, and providing tourism services. Perceived threats to the Antillean manatee included motorboat collisions, poaching, bycatch, habitat degradation, and water pollution. The focus groups also identified key observations, such as mother-calf sightings, specific areas of risk for manatee-boat collisions, areas with a higher presence of aquatic vegetation, and additional threats such as habitat degradation and poaching. Our results demonstrate that stakeholders possess a fundamental understanding of the manatee, its threats, and its distribution. They also highlight a noticeable lack of knowledge, specifically regarding the attention given to manatee strandings. It is recommended that conservation strategies include environmental education adapted to local conditions, as well as the promotion of manatee studies and their dissemination at the local level, including attention to strandings in the area.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceptions on the distribution, threats, strandings, and conservation of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the Río Dulce National Park, Izabal, Guatemala

Corona-Figueroa,

Cifuentes-Espinosa

2024

Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Mamm.

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“…Side-scan sonar has mostly been used to study manatee detection (Gonzalez-Socoloske et al, 2009;Gonzalez-Socoloske & Olivera-Gomez, 2012;Castelblanco-Martínez et al, 2018;Raoult et al, 2020 ;Corona-Figueroa et al, 2022), abundance (Arévalo-González et al, 2014;Puc-Carrasco et al, 2016;Choi-Lima, 2017;Guzman & Condit, 2017;Puc-Carrasco et al, 2017;Serrano et al, 2017;Corona-Figueroa et al, 2021) to what was initially reported by Gonzalez-Socoloske et al, 2009). Most studies do not account for a detection probability because of the impossibility of knowing the true number of manatees in the area in the first place.…”

Section: Applications For Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing in the dark: A review of the use of side-scan sonar to detect and study manatees, with an emphasis on Latin America

Gonzalez‐Socoloske

Olivera‐Gómez²

2023

Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Mamm.

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Manatees are aquatic mammals that live in a variety of environments. Many of those shallow water environments have murky water, making detection using traditional visual surveys very challenging. Side-scan sonar was first proposed as a tool to detect and study manatees in these complicated habitats in 2005. Here, we summarize the use of this tool from 2005 to 2022 by searching the available literature. Our literature search revealed that this tool is being widely used in more than 20 locations and over 15 countries. All three manatee species are being studied with side-scan sonar. It is most useful in murky freshwater habitats that are not too deep or open (e.g., large lagoons or lakes), where visual surveys are not effective. Most studies used side-scan sonar in combination with other methodologies such as passive acoustics and indirect evidence. Work is still needed to standardize the use of this technique so that image interpretation can be reliable, and results can be compared between studies. However, most studies indicated that this tool is essential in murky water habitats and provides one of the best ways to detect and study manatees.

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Not Everyone Likes Manatees: Fishers' Perceptions Unveil Opportunities and Challenges for Manatee Conservation in the Swamp Complex of Ayapel, Colombia

Ordoñez‐Nieto,

Castelblanco‐Martinez,

Jotty‐Arroyo

2024

Aquatic Conservation

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Greater Caribbean manatees Trichechus manatus manatus face complex conservation challenges throughout their distribution range, many of which are associated with human factors; and in consequence, the subspecies is considered Endangered (EN) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Human‐related threats as hunting for meat consumption, collisions with boats, entanglement in fishing nets, pollution and loss of habitat put the Greater Caribbean manatee at risk in Colombia. Studies aiming to describe traditional knowledge and local perceptions provide information that can be useful to design local manatee conservation programmes. We analyse the fishers' perceptions regarding manatees in Ayapel, Córdoba. One hundred semi‐structured interviews were conducted, focusing on personal data, fishing practices, perceptions and knowledge about the manatees. According to the interviews, bycatch is the greatest threat to manatees (56%), followed by pollution (16%), whereas boat collisions (12%), hunting (11%) and drought (5%) are lower ranking threats. Our results demonstrated that participants have a good understanding of manatee biology and ecology. However, a human–manatee conflict was evidenced, as 39% of fishers consider that manatees negatively impact fishing by competition for the fishing resources and/or by damaging fishing gear. We recommend strengthening awareness about the importance of manatee to guarantee an optimal management of this subspecies and its habitat. Fishers should be directly involved in the formulation of management and conservation plans for the subspecies, as their knowledge becomes critical to understanding and mitigating the risks to manatee populations. This work has a clear application to understand the human factor in manatee recovery not only in our study area but also in other locations where manatees share habitat with people, particularly in marginalized human communities.

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The existence value of the Antillean manatee in the unprotected Hondo River (Mexico) as a fundamental component for its conservation

Cited by 5 publications

References 39 publications

Perceptions on the distribution, threats, strandings, and conservation of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the Río Dulce National Park, Izabal, Guatemala

Perceptions on the distribution, threats, strandings, and conservation of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in the Río Dulce National Park, Izabal, Guatemala

Seeing in the dark: A review of the use of side-scan sonar to detect and study manatees, with an emphasis on Latin America

Not Everyone Likes Manatees: Fishers' Perceptions Unveil Opportunities and Challenges for Manatee Conservation in the Swamp Complex of Ayapel, Colombia

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