Dear MARMAM community,

On behalf of the Editorial board of the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals (LAJAM), led by our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Miriam Marmontiel and our Managing Editor Dr. Daniel González-Socoloske, I would like to announce the publication of a Special Issue for the 20th anniversary of the Journal.

As many of you may already know, LAJAM is an open access peer-reviewed scientific electronic journal that publishes articles on research, management and conservation biology of aquatic mammals in Latin America. 

To celebrate our 20-year milestone, a new special issue of the journal was conceived with the idea of publishing a series of review papers focusing on major topics related to the aquatic mammals of Latin America. A call for proposals was sent to aquatic mammal scientists that work in the area. We received over 30 proposals, which were carefully reviewed and the authors of 15 of these proposals  were  invited  to  submit  reviews. The  Editor-in-Chief along  with  four  associate  editors  (Nataly  Castelblanco-Martinez,  Daniel  Gonzalez-Socoloske,  Carolina  Loch, and Aldo S. Pacheco) were selected as guest editors for this special issue. In the end, 10 review articles passed the peer-review process, and these are:

Huesca-Domínguez,  I.,  Morteo,  E.,  Hernández-Candelario,  I.,  Delfín-Alfonso,  C.  A.,  Abarca-Arenas,  L.  G.,  Marmontel,  M.,  & Palacios, D.M. (2023). Two decades of the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals (LAJAM): A bibliometric review for the period 2002 – 2022. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 18(1), 5-20. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00294

Borobia, M., Vail, C., Pusineri, C., & Conruyt, G. (2023). Review of threats and implementation of the Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Marine Mammals in the Wider Caribbean Region. Latin  American  Journal  of  Aquatic  Mammals,  18(1), 21-38. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00300

Escobar-Lazcano,  M.  J.,  Morteo,  E.,  Delfin-Alfonso,  C.  A., Hernández-Candelario,  I.  C.,  &  Abarca-Arenas,  L.  G.  (2023).  Trends and gaps in marine mammal research from Mexico during 1998 - 2021. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 18(1), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00299

Viglino,  M.,  Valenzuela-Toro,  A.  M.,  Benites-Palomino,  A.,  Hernández-Cisneros, A. E., Gutstein, C. S., Aguirre-Fernández, G., Vélez-Juarbe, J., Cozzuol, M. A., Buono, M. R., & Loch, C. (2023). Aquatic mammal fossils in Latin America – a review of records, advances and challenges in research in the last 30 years. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 18(1), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00295

Loizaga, R., Caballero, S., Cunha, H. A., Gravena, W., Herrerra-Trujillo,  O.,  Lopes,  F.,  Milmann,  L.,  Ott,  P.  H.,  Pérez-Alvarez,  M.  J.,  Túnez,  J.  I.,  Durante,  C.  A.,  &  Oliveira,  L.  R.  (2023).  South American aquatic mammals: an overview of 20 years focusing on molecular techniques applied to conservation. Latin  American  Journal  of  Aquatic  Mammals,  18(1),  66-95.  https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00303

Chávez-Andrade,  M.,  de  la  Cueva,  H.,  Luévano-Esparza,  J.,  &  Lavín Murcio, P. A. (2023). Contributions of bioacoustics to the scientific knowledge of marine mammals in Latin America.Latin  American  Journal  of  Aquatic  Mammals,  18(1),  96-113.  https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00302

Gonzalez-Socoloske, D., & Olivera-Gómez, L. D. (2023). Seeing in the dark: A review of the use of side-scan sonar to detect and  study  manatees,  with  an  emphasis  on  Latin  America.  Latin  American  Journal  of  Aquatic  Mammals,  18(1),  114-124.  https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00301

Amaral,  R.  S.,  Marmontel,  M.,  Souza,  D.  A.,  Carvalho,  C.  C.,  Valdevino,  G.  C.  M.,  Guterres-Pazin,  M.  G.,  Mello,  D.  M.  D.,  Lima,  D.  S.,  Chávez-Pérez,  H.  I.,  &  da  Silva,  V.  M.  F.  (2023).  Advances in the knowledge of the biology and conservation of the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis). Latin American Journal  of  Aquatic  Mammals,  18(1),  125-138.  https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00296da  

Silva,  V.  M.  F.,  Brum,  S.  M.,  Mello,  D.  M.  D.,  Amaral,  R.  S.,  Gravena,  W.,  Campbell,  E.,  Gonçalves,  R.  S.,  &  Mintzer,  V.  J.  (2023).  The  Amazon  River  dolphin,  Inia  geoffrensis:  What  have we learned in the last two decades of research? Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 18(1), 139-157. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00298

Castelblanco-Martínez, D. N., Gonzalez-Socoloske, D., Cabrias, L., Garcés-Cuartas, N., Arévalo-González, G. K., Borges, J. C. G., & Marmontel, M. (2023). Accomplishments and challenges of research on the Antillean manatee: A bibliometric analysis. Latin  American  Journal  of  Aquatic  Mammals,  18(1),  158-166.  https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00297