The manatees, endangered by the breach of regulations in Mexico



With only about 2,000 specimens, the manatee species of the Antilles (Trichechus manatus manatus) is in danger of extinction in Mexico and Belize due to the dangers of sharing habitat with urban, tourist and fishing areas, and non-compliance with existing regulations.

"Although conservation efforts can be credited for the number of manatees that are still present today, our work is limited by the lack of specific laws and regulations that address the problems that threaten the species and provide the required protection. "Biologist Jamal A. Galves told Efe on Saturday.

The Belizean manatee researcher said this subspecies is still in danger despite efforts to ensure its survival.

National and international organizations such as the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) of Mexico and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have warned of the dangers surrounding this sirenium, which can weigh up to 1,500 kilos and measure 4.6 meters.

Although they are gentle and slow mammals, they are very curious. Therefore, another factor that has influenced their disappearance, according to WWF, is accidental fishing and the collision with boats, since they live and feed in shallow water one or two meters below the surface.

Currently, this gray giant, which consumes 15% of its body weight in vegetation daily, is a species classified as endangered, according to official Mexican regulations, and is part of the list of Priority Conservation Species in Mexico.

Since 1991, the Mexican Government has implemented programs for sirenium - which have their habitat in the Caribbean - but has not prevented their home from being limited to three regions in the southeast of the country.

These are the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve and Chetumal Bay, Quintana Roo; the Alvarado lagoon and the Papaloapan river basin, Veracruz, and the lower basin of the Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers, which covers Tabasco, northern Chiapas and western Campeche.

Today, the only sites that are receiving federal support - a contribution of about $ 20,000 annually - are the area of ​​flora and fauna protection in Bala'an K'aax and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, in the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the Program for the Protection and Restoration of Ecosystems and Species at Risk (PROREST).

Like Mexico, Belize has a population of approximately one thousand manatees that are in constant danger of extinction.

The NGO Wildtracks Belize indicates that in the last five years the number of settlements of these marine mammals in the Caribbean country has increased, due to a displacement from Mexico looking for a better place to live.

But in 2015 in Belize there were 40 deaths due to the tourist use of their habitat.

It is not known for sure why the manatees have gone to the Caribbean, but the doctor in Ecology from the University of Arizona Gerardo Ceballos told Efe that the displacement of the sirenium is completely natural and that there is nothing to worry about.

Researcher Jamal Galves said the only apparent reason for the movement of the species is that Belize still offers "more pristine, healthy and favorable" ecosystems for survival.

TOURISM FOR CONSERVATION

Belize has a long history in caring for the mammal. In 1933 the Belize Forest Department committed itself to the cause and, three years later, ordered that the area where they live be monitored so that no manatee can be hunted from the West Indies.

Thanks to the efforts of the researchers, three protected areas were created: Wildlife Sanctuary of Corozal Bay, Swallow Caye Sanctuary and Placencia Lagoon.

But keeping manatees alive is very expensive and that is why civil organizations such as Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute devised plans that would involve society.

With habitat care workshops, the NGO invited attendees to make financial, equipment donations or urged them to volunteer at the rehabilitation sanctuaries.

However, the cause opened the door to entrepreneurs who have created ecotourism routes where they offer visitors, for $ 50 per person, activities such as swimming with manatees, which can often stress the animal.

"It is good for the economy but often bad for manatees. It could be done if the benefits were for the locals and the manatee. It would not be affected if it were done more adequately," Galves said.

For his part, Dr. Ceballos suggests that, if you want to mitigate manatee deaths, Belize and Mexico have to collaborate, as they already do in the College of the Southern Border of Mexico, to make comprehensive conservation plans.

. (tagsToTranslate) manatees (t) danger (t) breach (t) regulations (t) Mexico



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