being increasingly harvested for fire wood and building mater- 

 ial, and mangrove forests are being replaced by agricultural 

 projects, such as saltwater rice production. In addition, 

 drought has contributed to the reduction of mangroves from 

 Senegal to Nigeria. Manatees reportedly have disappeared 

 from some areas where fresh water outflow has greatly decreased, 

 and mangroves have died or were cut. 



Manatees are generally herbivores and do not compete for 

 naturally occurring food resources. However, in Sierra Leone, 

 fishermen report that manatees sometimes eat fish from their 

 nets. In the Casamance, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, manatees 

 are said to damage fishing nets. Rice farmers in Sierra 

 Leone and Niger state that manatees consume rice. Fishermen 

 and farmers are hired to capture and kill manatees as a service 

 to the local community. 



Pollution poses another growing threat to manatees in 

 West Africa. Extensive use of pesticides and herbicides 

 poses an unknown but potential threat to manatees and their 

 habitats. The numerous oil fields located in estuaries of 

 Nigeria also are cause for concern because of possible oil 

 spills or other problems resulting from contamination. 



Efforts to protect and conserve the West African manatee 

 have been hindered by the lack of information on the status 

 and ecology of the species. Recognizing this need, the New 

 York Zoological Society, through its Wildlife Conservation 

 International Division, has initiated a research and conser- 

 vation project in cooperation with the Government of Cote 

 d'lvoire. Studies have focused on the distribution, status, 

 food habits, movements, reproductive biology, and habitat 

 utilization of the species. Information also is being gathered 

 on exploitation and human-related mortality. Another major 

 aim of the project is to train West African biologists in 

 manatee conservation and research practices. 



Responsibility for protecting manatees lies primarily 

 with the countries in which the species is found. However, 

 steps can be taken to assist in these efforts. Among the 

 identified needs are: continued support for basic research 

 on the biology of the species; surveys of manatee status and 

 distribution to identify critical habitat and areas of special 

 concern; information on manatee conservation for use in national 

 training and education programs; greater international 

 cooperation on protecting and managing coastal and wetlands 

 habitats where West African manatees occur; impact studies 

 and manatee status surveys at existing dams; and mechanisms 

 for monitoring the effects of internationally sponsored 

 development projects on manatee populations. 



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