Dear MARMAM members, On behalf of all theauthors, I would like to share with you the publication in the Journalfor Nature Conservation: Don’t let me down: West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus,is still critically endangered in Brazil AnaCarolina Oliveira de Meirelles, Danielledos Santos Lima, MariaDanise de Oliveira Alves, JoãoCarlos Gomes Borges, Miriam Marmontel, VitorLuz Carvalho, FabricioRodrigues dos Santos | | | | | | | | | | | Don’t let me down: West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus, is still cri... Sirenians have a unique ecological function in coastal ecosystems, deserving special conservation attention. The... | | | You can find the paperhere: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1elJa5liTFK8Wf Abstract: Sirenians have a uniqueecological function in coastal ecosystems, deserving specialconservation attention. The West Indian manatee (Trichechusmanatus) is globally classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. In Brazil, wherethe species was intensively hunted in the past and currently faces severalthreats, it was classified as Endangered during the last national assessmentpublished in 2014. Here, we generated information based on available data toassess the species extinction risk in Brazil using IUCN regional guidelines,applying all criteria, and choosing the highest category of risk. Abundance atthe national level was projected considering the density estimated in Ceará andRio Grande do Norte states and the Criterion B EOO (Extent of Occurrence)estimated in this study (34,899 km2) and resulted in 1,047 individuals(95% CI: 538–2,038). Six scenarios of annual mortality were inferred andsuspected based on evidence. We adopted a simple discrete logistic growth modelto project population reduction in the past and future (three generations −69 years) in 18 scenarios. Among the 18 projected scenarios, four resultedin extinction, six in decline and eight in population growth. Considering thelow abundance bound, all scenarios indicate a reduction larger than 80% inpopulation size, classifying the species as ‘Critically Endangered’ basedon A4de. Reduction in EOO and abundance in the past classify thespecies as ‘Endangered’ based on A2c. The suspected number ofmature animals (607;95% CI: 312–1,182) and the projected decline higher than20% in two generations also classify the species as ‘Endangered’ based on C1 and‘Vulnerable’ under D1. Our results indicate that information can begenerated to produce more accurate assessments based on available data. Thespecies national extinction risk needs to be reassessed, and the NationalAction Plan effectiveness evaluated. Thank you for your interestin the paper! Bestregards, Carol. ________________________________ Ana CarolinaOliveira de Meirelles Alves Campos Ph.D Tropical Marine Sciences Cetacean and Sirenian Specialist Links na mensagem (1) | | West Indian Manatee - an overview | Sci... | | | Virus-free. www.avast.com |