Improving climate change management strategies through increased conservation capacity for manatees and seagrass in Belize
Grantee:
Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute Belize
Location:
Coastal Belize, Belize Barrier Reef System
Thematic Area:
Climate Resilience
Timeframe:
January 2024 – April 2026
Funds from Belize Fund ($BZD):
$149,985.00
Co-financing ($BZD):
$55,000.00
Project Goal:
To expand our understanding of the impacts of climate change on seagrass ecosystems by utilizing the endangered Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) as a key forager across coastal Belize to ultimately reduce any impacts by providing collected data for future protections.
Project Objectives:
- Increase conservation capacity to implement water quality testing, seagrass monitoring, protection and management in Belize.
- Improve understanding of seagrass ecosystems, manatees, and environmental factors to assist in mitigating climate change impacts on the Belize coastline.
- Launch an awareness campaign to educate Belizean citizens about the importance of seagrass ecosystems.
- Utilize the endangered Antillean manatee as an indicator species to identify important seagrass habitats and measure ecosystem health through health assessments and satellite tagging
Expected Outputs:
- NGO and government personnel trained in seagrass survey skills and water quality testing.
- Report on the status of seagrass ecosystems
- A baseline dataset of 26 seagrass monitoring sites along the Belizean coastline for future reference and comparison.
- Seagrass coverage map updated
- Twelve outreach events conducted at local schools.
- Awareness billboard on Coastal Plain Highway installed
- Public service announcement (PSA) aired on television and social media.
- Five signs installed indicated areas of high seagrass concentration.
- Six manatees health assessed, tagged, and tracked.
- Maps of seagrass habitats utilized by manatees during tracking campaign.