reduce potentially hazardous development in essential manatee 

 habitats; and incorporate additional manatee habitat into the 

 existing system of Federal and State refuges and preserves. 



Commission Activities in Support of the Revised Manatee Recovery 

 Plan 



Although the Revised Recovery Plan for manatees in Florida 

 was not adopted in final form until July 1989, certain high 

 priority needs became apparent as the Plan was being updated in 

 1988. As noted above, the Commission began acting on a number of 

 those needs immediately. Much of the work initiated in 1988 was 

 carried forward in 1989 as described below. 



Development of a Geographic Information System — In 1988, 

 the Commission provided funds for a workshop to examine 

 opportunities and needs for developing a computerized geographic 

 information system to assist manatee research and management 

 activities. New computer technology for such systems now makes 

 it possible to integrate, map, and display detailed site-specific 

 information instantaneously. Because of increasing numbers of 

 site-specific management decisions (e.g. , permits for marinas and 

 proposals for new boat speed zones) and the need for detailed, 

 up-to-date data on manatee habitat use patterns, manatee 

 mortality, zoning patterns, etc., the Commission and other 

 agencies and groups are hopeful that this new technology can be 

 applied to improve the quality and speed of these critical 

 management decisions. The purpose of the workshop therefore was 

 to determine how such technology could be adapted to meet manatee 

 research and management needs. 



The Workshop was held on 21-22 March 1989 and was convened 

 by representatives of the Florida Department of Natural Resources 

 and Eckerd College. Participants included representatives of the 

 principal involved Federal, state, local, and private agencies 

 and organizations as well as experts in geographic information 

 systems. Based on discussion, the participants agreed that a 

 geographic information system for manatees should be developed 

 and that it should consist of: (a) a centralized data base 

 operated by hardware and software with substantial analytical 

 capability; and (b) a network of less powerful field terminals 

 with access to the central system provided at offices of agencies 

 and research centers throughout Florida and Georgia. Specific 

 recommendations were made during the Workshop to develop the 

 system. As the Florida Department of Natural Resources' Marine 

 Research Institute had already made considerable progress towards 

 establishing such a system, there was agreement that it should 

 assume lead responsibility for creating and operating the central 

 system. At the end of 1989, the final Workshop report was being 

 reviewed for publication by the Florida Department of Natural 

 Resources. 



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