July,
2003
THE MANATEES POPULATION IN BELIZE
Emma Fieldgate, an Accountant with Amcor PET Packaging
in the UK, travelled to Belize to form part of the team of
volunteers assisting Katherine LaComare (University of
Massachusetts, Boston) and Caryn Self Sullivan, (Texas
A&M University), who are conducting a baseline survey of
endangered manatees and their habitat.
Everywhere they occur, manatees are endangered and the human
impact on these gentle marine relatives of elephants is growing as
more and more of our population gravitates toward tropical coasts.
The Earthwatch volunteers help to gather basic data on manatee
distribution, behaviour, habitat, travel corridors and the like, so
that the nation can provide appropriate protection.
Emma filed this report on her return.
Emma�s
Story:
In July 2003 I took part in an Earthwatch project studying
Manatees in Belize. Our research team consisted of 5 researchers and
7 volunteers based on an island 8 miles from Belize City.
We were completely isolated. All our provisions were bought in
the city which was only visited once a week. The water was pumped
from the sea or collected when it rained and the electricity was
generated by a wind turbine. We all shared the tasks of cooking,
cleaning and equipment care.
Our research consisted of surveying the local area around the
mangrove islands for manatees and also collecting data on their
habitat. Surveys were conducted while the boat moved along, but
periodically we would stop and scan the waters for 30 minutes for
any sign of a manatee. They were very difficult to spot and even
more difficult to photograph. We saw between 0 and 5 manatees a day.
After each scan we recorded the air and water temperatures, the
water depth, visibility and salinity and also took constant GPS
readings to plot our movements. We also took samples of, and
recorded data on, the Sea Grass on which the manatees feed.
The researchers are trying to build up a picture of Manatee
activity in the area. We need to understand them in order to better
understand how we can help them. They are ancient creatures whose
existence is now threatened by humans mostly due to the effect
humans have on their habitat, and increasingly due to boating
accidents.
The contribution Earthwatch, and therefore Amcor, makes is
essential to the project for both funding and for the time invested
by the volunteers. This was a brilliant experience for me. I visited
some amazing places, met new and interesting people and learnt a
great deal about the Manatees and the research processes and also
about living cleanly and efficiently with minimal impact on our
environment.
I can now just start to imagine the amount of work and
effort that goes into studying these and any other elusive
creatures. We were asked at the end if we could imagine how much
work goes into 1 hour of TV documentary. Take it from me, it is a
lot !
Emma Fieldgate