The Antillean manatee is listed as vulnerable by IUCN and threatened with extinction in CITES. The proposed project aims at furthering research by knowing the manatee´s status in the Panama Canal Watershed and unprotected areas of Panama´s Caribbean coast, tagging and tracking 5 manatees for individual health studies, assessing their condition and that of their main feeding and gathering areas, and systematizing local people´s knowledge, experience and observations.

Research methods will include aerial surveys, GIS, field interview surveys, tagging/tracking and strategic planning. Outputs include a completed database on the species´ status in Panama and an assessment of the environmental factors that affect the health of individual manatees and how this impacts behaviour and reproduction. Results will support informed decision making and participation by natural resource management authorities and community organizations leading to effective protection of the local stock throughout the manatee´s local range.