RapportFondation_2026_V03 Pages LIGHT EN - Flipbook - Page 56
Supporting scienti昀椀c research
2025 REPORT
SOUTH
AMERICA
Mapping the distribution
of the Caribbean manatee to better
protect its key habitats
AMOUNT COMMITED TO DATE: € 45.500
2024 > PRESENT
Manatees are often called “sea cows” because of their gentle nature and important ecological role. They are large
herbivorous aquatic mammals that are essential to the health of freshwater and coastal ecosystems.
The Caribbean manatee is found across several countries in South America, but it is increasingly under threat from
habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, accidental capture, poaching, and the impacts of climate change. To
protect the species effectively, it is crucial to better understand exactly where it lives and how it uses its habitat.
The lack of recent and reliable data on its distribution continues to make effective conservation difficult.
To help close this gap, the Pairi Daiza Foundation is supporting a project led by the University of British Columbia.
This project compiles existing data on distribution and habitats, identifies priority conservation areas, and helps
to better coordinate conservation efforts at a regional level.
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