Final Report

Final Report
Rare Pride Campaign
Belize
Dilci Patt & Mito Paz
Green Reef
Rafael Manzanero
Rare
2003-2004
Rare Diploma in Conservation Education
University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom
Kent Cohort II
Contents
Preface............................................................................................................................................ 4
Site Background ............................................................................................................................ 5
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 5
Environmental Considerations .................................................................................................... 7
Socio-economic Considerations................................................................................................ 10
Management Considerations .................................................................................................... 10
Program Preparation................................................................................................................... 12
Background ............................................................................................................................... 12
Kent Course Training ................................................................................................................ 12
Field Planning............................................................................................................................ 13
Site Assessment .......................................................................................................................... 14
Pre-Project Stakeholder Meeting .............................................................................................. 14
Stakeholder Matrix .................................................................................................................... 15
Questionnaire Survey Distribution............................................................................................. 17
Pre-Project Questionnaire Survey Results................................................................................ 18
Concept Model Summary.......................................................................................................... 30
Revised Conceptual Model Narrative........................................................................................ 32
The Flagship Species.................................................................................................................. 33
Selection of the Manatee as the Flagship Species ................................................................... 33
Description ................................................................................................................................ 33
Feeding Habits .......................................................................................................................... 33
Reproduction ............................................................................................................................. 34
Distribution ................................................................................................................................ 34
Protected Areas......................................................................................................................... 34
Threats ...................................................................................................................................... 35
Conservation Education Activities ............................................................................................ 36
Poster ........................................................................................................................................ 36
Fact Sheet ................................................................................................................................. 37
Bumper Sticker.......................................................................................................................... 38
Badges ...................................................................................................................................... 38
Puppet Show ............................................................................................................................. 38
Costume .................................................................................................................................... 39
School Song .............................................................................................................................. 39
Primary School Visit .................................................................................................................. 40
Secondary School Visits ........................................................................................................... 44
Manatees Matter to Me Slideshow............................................................................................ 45
Community Outreach ................................................................................................................ 47
Adult Presentation Format....................................................................................................................47
Art and Essay Competition........................................................................................................ 48
Colouring Booklet ...................................................................................................................... 49
Press Release ........................................................................................................................... 49
Radio Spots............................................................................................................................... 50
Legislation Handout................................................................................................................... 51
Workshop .................................................................................................................................. 52
A-Z Booklet................................................................................................................................ 53
Calendars .................................................................................................................................. 54
Sermon Sheet ........................................................................................................................... 54
Environmental News Sheets ..................................................................................................... 55
Billboard .................................................................................................................................... 55
Popular Song............................................................................................................................. 56
The Results .................................................................................................................................. 57
Introduction................................................................................................................................ 57
Dilci Patt, Belize
2
Data Collection Process............................................................................................................ 57
Summary of Post Project Survey Results ................................................................................. 58
SMART Objective Results......................................................................................................... 72
Lessons Learned ......................................................................................................................... 77
Green Reef................................................................................................................................ 77
Rare........................................................................................................................................... 77
Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 79
Green Reef................................................................................................................................ 79
Rare........................................................................................................................................... 79
References ................................................................................................................................... 80
Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................... 81
Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................................... 83
Puppet Show Script................................................................................................................... 83
Dilci Patt, Belize
3
Preface
Increasing Manatee Conservation Awareness in Belizean Coastal Communities has been an
ambitious project undertaken to educate inhabitants of 19 coastal Belizean communities about
the importance of protecting manatees and the threats they are currently facing. Green Reef
Environmental Institute along with Rare worked together to complete this multi-faceted project
with the generous support of donors including: the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT),
UNDP/Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, and the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation. This project is very timely and important as manatee deaths from boat collisions
continue to increase. Even though Belize is home to the largest population of Antillean
manatees, with numbers between 300 to 700, they are still threatened and the numbers are
decreasing. Boat collisions, entanglement in fishing nets, and poaching all contribute to this
decline. The project also comes at a time when tour operators are becoming more dependent on
income from manatee tours. These tours are very popular, especially because Belize has some
of the best waters for manatee watching. This combination of factors led Green Reef and Rare to
embark on an educational campaign to help protect the manatee from extinction, and thereby
ensure that manatees continue to provide an economical contribution to the people of Belize.
Environmental education is an integral part of the protection of our environment. Unless people
are aware of the threats and the importance of protecting our wildlife and natural resources, they
may not have the knowledge or understanding they need to ensure a healthy environment for
many generations to come. Pride in one’s environment is also a key to protection. If people do
not have ownership over their natural resources, they will not make the extra effort to protect it.
Increasing Manatee Conservation Awareness in Belizean Coastal Communities combined these
two important factors not only to educate the young and old about manatees, but also to make
them proud of the manatee populations in Belize and the beauty of the species. This was done
through a variety of activities ranging from school presentations with “Hercules” the manatee
mascot to songs on the radio, and from posters and bumper stickers to community meetings.
Newspaper, television, and local radios all featured manatee messages and in the 19 target
communities manatee images were posted on the streets.
Green Reef and Rare feel proud to have been part of such an important endeavor. The success
of the project can be seen in the children who can still sing the manatee songs and still remember
how much a person is charged for the first and second offence for harming a manatee. The
response from the communities was very positive. Belizeans really do care about their manatees
and their environment. This can be seen in the support for legislation to create boat speed limit
zones in manatee areas, which would protect this gentle species from boat collisions. We feel
confident that manatee conservation is important to the communities of Belize and as the next
generation steps up to make conservation decisions, they will remember “Hercules” the Manatee
and the messages he brought to their schools, and work to protect this very special species for
their own children.
Mito Paz
Executive Director, GreenReef
Dilci Patt, Belize
4
Site Background
Introduction
The target area is located in the country of Belize in Central America. It is bordered on the north
by Mexico, to the south-west by Guatemala and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. Belize lies
17.15o N and 88.45o W on a geographic plane (Campbell et. al, 1997). The climate is tropical -hot and humid. Belize lies in the northern sub-tropical belt where temperatures can rise to above
96o F and can fall to below 60o F. The rainy season is from June to December while the dry
season is from January to May.
The country of Belize has 10% arable land of which 1% is occupied by permanent crops, 2% by
permanent pastures, the remainder is under semi-permanent crops and shifting cultivation.
Forest and woodlands occupy 84% of the land and 3% is used for other activities (McRae and
Jolly, 1998). Extensive areas of forest cover remain in their natural state, with both broad-leaf
tropical primary rainforest and extensive areas of Caribbean Pine. The arable land is used by
people in the north for sugarcane plantations while, in the south citrus and banana plantations
dominate.
The coastal zone of Belize is of great importance to the country and its people. This is the point
where the land and sea converge providing countless organisms with a habitat in which to feed
and breed, many of these organisms are critical to the economic development of Belize, whether
they be the reefs that provide nursery grounds for food fish, or protective barriers against storm
surge; or the mangroves that trap silt or cayes that lures tourists to their pristine shores and dive
sites. The coastal zone includes old coastal terraces, the low plain, the inner lagoon, the Barrier
Reef and the cayes and three atolls.
The rivers of Belize such as the Rio Hondo and the New River carry sediment into the Corozal
Bay; while the Northern River, the Belize River and the Sibun River deposit the sediments that
they carry into the channel located between the mainland and the Barrier Reef. It is these
sediments and the mangroves that have created the swampy, coastal area which also forms an
important ecosystem in the coastal zone.
The Barrier Reef -- which is one of Belize’s most valuable resources -- was formed over millennia
by the slow build-up of animals called corals. These simple organisms comprise colonies of coral
polyps that have a hard exterior composed of calcite. Depending on water depth, salinity
conditions and geographic and oceanic factors reefs may be characterised as being fringing reefs
which forms “a shelf” around an island, a barrier reef which is a rough ring or line and is found at
a distance from an island or coast; and atolls which are reef remnants that once surrounded an
island that has subsequently sunk. Belize has three atolls namely, Lighthouse reef, Glovers’ reef
and Turneffe Islands, and the longest barrier reef in the Western hemisphere.
Dilci Patt, Belize
5
Figure 1: Map showing Belize and the Coastal Zone and several communities.
Dilci Patt, Belize
6
Environmental Considerations
The coastal zone of Belize comprises 386km of coastline consisting of over 1,000 cayes and 3
atolls (www.belize.com, 2004). The zone’s rich biological diversity results from the diversity of
habitats that exist within it -- coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves, littoral forest, and lagoons
to name a few. Apart from providing a breeding, feeding and nesting area to a variety of
organisms, these coastal ecosystems provide a buffer zone protecting the coastline against storm
surges produced by hurricanes and autumn storms. Mangroves and coastal swamps also serve
as sediment traps and reduce runoff from agricultural practices such as land clearing and use of
agrochemicals.
Extensive areas of the coastal zone of Belize are lined by mangrove and littoral forests. There
are four types of mangroves in Belize. First, there is the red mangrove which has red, stilt-like
roots that allow it to grow in deep water. The roots hold the plant upright, and have pores which
help them to “breath” in the oxygen-deprived soil. Black mangroves are characterized by their
numerous short pneumatophores which rise up out of the water and again are used in obtaining
oxygen. The white mangrove becomes more dominant as one move away from the tidal area
and inshore – since its roots cannot tolerate constant immersion in salt water. Finally the
buttonwood mangrove is found along the boundaries of wetlands or swamps (McRae and Jolly,
1998).
Littoral forests cover a very small area of Belize and are one of the most threatened coastal
habitats. It has been speculated that there are less than 2,000 hectares of littoral forest
remaining (McRae and Jolly, 1998). Some of the vegetation found in this coastal ecosystem is
found in the following table. These forest communities comprise a mix of species, including those
listed here in Table 1.
Table 1: The vegetation along the coast of Belize.
SPECIES
Bursera simaruba
Manilkara zapotilla
Casuarina equisetifolia
Theobroma cacao
Brosimum alicastrum
Annona reticulate
Musa paradisiacal
Persea Americana
Thrinax radiate
Veitchia merrillii
Terminalia catappa
Persea Americana
Musa paradisiacal
Artocarpus altilis
Annona reticulate
Rhizophora mangle
Avicennia germinans
Laguncuaria racmosa
Psidium guajava
Dilci Patt, Belize
COMMON NAME
Gumbolimbo (chaca)
Sapodilla
Australian Pine
Cacao tree
Ramon breadnut
Custard Apple
Banana tree
Avocado tree
Saltwater Palmetto
Christmas palm
Almond tree
Avocado tree
Banana tree
Breadfruit
Custard apple
Red mangrove
Black mangrove
White mangrove
Guava tree
7
Belize’s littoral forests and mangrove ecosystems provide a habitat for a variety of birds which
nest or visit the area, as seen here in Table 2.
Table 2 : Common birds that are seen along the coast of Belize
SPECIES
Melanoptila glabrirostris
Vireo griseus
Vireo magister
Pitangus sulphuratus
Piranga olivacea
Piranga rubra
Columba speciosa
Pachyramphus major
Vireo pallense
Ceryle torquata
Celeus castaneus
Sula sula
Pelecanus erythrorhynchus
Fregata magnificens
Ajaia ajaja
Myiarchus tyrannulus
Catharus mustelina
COMMON NAME
Black Cat bird
White eyed vireo
Yucatan vireo
Great Kiskadee
Scarlet tanagers
Summer tanagers
Regal white crowned pigeons
Rose throated becard
Mangrove vireo
Ringed kingfisher
Chestnut colored woodpecker
Red footed booby
American white pelican
Magnificent frigate bird
Roseate spoonbill
Great crested flycatcher
Wood thrush
The coastal zone is also home to a number of small mammals, which dwell in its forests, as listed
here in Table 3.
Table 3: Mammals found along the coast of Belize.
SPECIES
Dasypus novemcinctus
Procyon lotor
Potos flavus
Nasua narica
Tyassu pecari
Tyassu tajacu
Mazama Americana
Agouti paca
Dasyprocta punctata
Ateles geoffroyi
Alouatta pigra
Felis wiedii
COMMON NAME
Nine banded armadillo
Racoon
Kinkajou
Coatimundi
White lipped peccary
Collared peccary
Red-brocket deer
Paca
Agouti
Spider monkey
Black howler monkey
Margay
LOCAL NAME
------------------------------------Nightwalker
Quash
Warree
Pecari
-------------------Gibnut
Bush rabbit
-------------------Baboon
Tiger cat
The zone’s coral reefs and sea-grass beds also provide feeding and breeding areas to a huge
diversity of marine organisms.
There are four species of sea-grass in Belize they are turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum)
manatee seagrass (Syringodium filiforme), duckweed (Halodule wrightii, Halodule filiforme and
Halophila englemanii). Sea-grass is an important habitat for economically important and
threatened species such as the conch, manatees and turtles.
The coral reef is one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems. It is of incredible beauty
and is species rich. Belize has the longest Barrier Reef in the western hemisphere which has
been designated as a World Heritage site (www.sanpedrosun.com, 2004). The reef is home to
over 65 species of corals and 300 species of fish (www.belizeweb.com, 2004).
Dilci Patt, Belize
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Table 4: Marine organisms found in the coastal zone of Belize.
SPECIES
Stenopushispidus/Periclimenes yucatanicus
Panulirus argus
-----------------------------Strombus species
Aplysia species
Acanthopleura granulate
Lima scabra, Pteria species
Sepioteuthis sepcodea
Demaster species
Oreaster reticulates
Ophiothrix species
Ophioderma species
Diadema spp/Echinodermata spp
Holothuria spp.
Ascidiacea spp/Cavelina picta
COMMON NAME
Shrimp
Lobster
Hermit crab
True crab
Snails
Shell less snails
Chitons
Bivalves
Squid/octopus
Feather stars
Sea stars
Brittle stars
Basket stars
Sea urchins
Sea cucumbers
Tunicates
The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute is the organization responsible for the
management of the coastal zone of Belize. This organization is established under the Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives.
The coastal zone of Belize is a very productive area since it is important for fishing and tourism.
It is also “delicate” and easily impacted. While tourism has brought economic benefits to the zone,
through employment and revenue generation, it has also contributed to the degradation of the
zone through inappropriate construction of hotels, roads and ancillary infrastructure. Another
factor that affects the marine ecosystem is sedimentation caused by soil erosion due to the
clearance of land for agriculture and housing purposes. Sedimentation destroys the sea-grass
beds which are used for nesting and breeding by marine organisms and affects the productivity of
the coral reef since it smothers the fragile coral polyps reducing the ability of their symbiotic algae
to photosynthesise.
Coastal development including the construction of hotels, roads and other infrastructure has led
to land clearing and siltation caused by earth-moving and run-off. The development of the citrus
and banana industries has impacted marine ecosystems through pesticide, herbicide and
fertilizers leaching from agricultural plots into streams and rivers and eventually the sea. Over
fishing and over-harvesting of marine organisms exacerbated by habitat destruction has led to the
decline and threatened status of species such as manatees and the hawksbill turtle (Auil, 1988).
Dilci Patt, Belize
9
Socio-economic Considerations
Belize is populated by people of different ethnicities, including Mestizos, Creoles and Garifunas,
with significant minorities of Mennonites, East Indians, Chinese and East Indians. The total
population of the communities along the coast of Belize is estimated at 87,235 people
(Government of Belize, 2000).
Table 5: The target communities along the coast of Belize
COMMUNITY
Barranco
Belize City
Bomba
Caye Caulker
Corozal town
Chunox and Copper bank
Dangriga
Gales Point
Hopkins
Independence
Maskall
Monkey River
Mullins River
Placencia
Punta Gorda
Punta Negra
San Pedro
Sarteneja
Seine Bight
CORE TARGET POPULATION
240
49,050
170
742
7,888
1,443
8,814
344
1,027
4,000
600
220
109
1,050
4,500
20
4,499
1,648
871
In Belize as a whole, the total population for the year 2001 was estimated at 256,062 inhabitants.
Of this, 44.1% were described as being Mestizos, 31.0% as Creole, 9.2% as Maya, 6.2% as
Garifuna and 9.5% as other ethnicities. The age structure of Belize’s population [2001] is 42.04%
aged between 0-14; 54.43% between 15-64; and 3.53% aged 65 and over. The estimated birth
rate is 31.69% per 1,000 [2001], while the death rate is 4.7% per 1000. The infant mortality rate
is 25.14 deaths in 1,000 live births (Government of Belize, 2000).
Management Considerations
The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMA&I) is responsible for the
supervision of the coastal area of Belize. It serves to advise the Minister on matters that relate to
the coastal zone, including the formation of policies, programmes and project development, as
well as conducting research and monitoring of the coastline, monitoring the national coral reef
and coastal water quality (www.coastalzone.org, 2004).
The CZMA&I was established because of a need for the protection of the coastal resources and
ensure the area’s sustainable development. The organization falls under the Fisheries
Department, and is composed of the CZM Authority and the CZM Institute. The authority was
established under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives and is headed by a
Board of Directors which is appointed by the Minister. Work is conducted under the guidance of a
Chief Executive Officer. The authority is “an autonomous public statutory body charged with the
responsibility of implementing and monitoring policies that govern the use and development of the
coastal zone in Belize” (www.coastalzone.org, 2004). The Coastal Zone Management Institute
on the other hand, deals with the technical functions relating to the management of the coastal
Dilci Patt, Belize
10
zone and is headed by a Director. Its functions include conducting marine research, as well as
supporting agencies involved with the coastal zone. The Institute also serves as a data centre
and monitors programmes and projects involved in the coastal zone. The CZMI is also involved
in assisting the Government of Belize in the formation of polices that relate to marine resources
and the coastal zone. All such polices require input from the general public if they are to be
approved. As such public education and awareness of the marine ecosystem is seen as key. It is
for this reason that the CZMI Public Awareness Education Programme was launched. This
programme strives to reach out to local communities to increase public awareness pertaining to
environmental issues in the coastal zone. The work conducted by GreenReef strengthened the
work for manatee conservation and provided badly needed educational outreach materials. In
order to prevent duplication of efforts, GreenReef’s educator worked closely with the CZMI
personnel as well as the Conservation Division of the Forest Department.
Another organization working towards sustainable development and for the conservation of
marine resources is Green Reef Environmental Institute. This is a private non –profit organization
which is focused in promoting the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal
resources in Belize. It was set up in June 1996 by concerned residents of San Pedro Town, who
saw a need for an increased community awareness of the social, environmental and economic
problems facing the town. Its mission statement reads “Green Reef is a non-profit, non
governmental membership organization dedicated to the protection of the environment and for
the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef and the associated marine environment in order to
maintain the integrity of the ecosystems for the benefit of all humans.” The aims of Green Reef
Environmental Institute are as follows:
•
•
•
•
To promote development through community participation
Sensitize the community with conservation issues through public awareness and
environmental education programs on marine and coastal conservation
Protect and conserve the Belize Barrier Reef, its cayes and resources through the
establishment of projects, research programs and the involvement in regional and
international organizations and programs/activities
Advocate for conservation and environmentally friendly practices
Since its establishment, Green Reef Environmental Institute has embarked on several different
projects. These include environmental education with weekly newspaper columns on marine
biology and working with local schools. It also works with the San Pedro Tourist Guide
Association to give tour guide training and lectures to individuals who would like to obtain a
Tourist Guide license. Green Reef has also been involved with the Coastal Zone Management
Authority and Institute to promote manatee awareness and have together hosted an annual
“Manatee Week” in San Pedro. Green Reef Environmental Institute has also held an annual Reef
Festival since 1997 – which brings together the people of San Pedro to educate them on reef
issues and about the value of, and threats to, marine resources. Other projects that have been
undertaken by the Green Reef Environmental Institute include a Reef Mooring Buoy Project, the
management of a local Bird Sanctuary and research and public awareness of the Nassau
Grouper.
Dilci Patt, Belize
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Program Preparation
Background
GreenReef is a private non-profit membership organization dedicated to the promotion of
sustainable use and conservation of Belize’s marine and coastal resources. The organization was
founded in June 1996 by concerned Belizean citizens and residents of San Pedro Town. As a
scientific and educational organization, the aims and objectives of GreenReef are to promote
interest in wildlife and conservation of our natural resources among students, teachers, tourism
guides, fishermen, visitors and the general public.
More specifically the aims of GreenReef are:
•
•
•
•
•
Promote sustainable development through community participation
Sensitize the community with conservation issues through public awareness
Foster the sustainable development of San Pedro Town
Protect and conserve the Belize Barrier Reef, its cayes and resources through the
establishment of projects, research and involvement in regional and international
organizations
Advocate for conservation and environmentally friendly practices
Kent Course Training
On the 10th of July, 2002 GreenReef’s Executive Director referred a letter to Rare’s VicePresident, Paul Butler notifying him of GreenReef’s interest in participating in the Pride
conservation education program. The letter read, “GreenReef is interested in executing a national
manatee awareness campaign following the award winning Promoting Protection through Pride
campaign model for target species conservation pioneered by Rare Center for Tropical
Conservation. Ms. Dilcia Trejo has been selected by GreenReef to be trained to implement the
Pride methodology in Belize after undergoing a ten-week Diploma in Conservation Education
Course at the University of Kent, England.”
Mr. Paz added that, “Ms. Trejo will implement the campaign, following the Pride model using
social marketing techniques to build community support for eliminating manatee poaching and
promoting conservation efforts.”
Thus on September 16th of 2002 to November 23rd of 2002, Ms. Dilcia Trejo joined two other
students, Milika Ratu from Fiji and Mary Rose Nakayama of Chuuk (Federated States of
Micronesia) on a ten week course at the University of Kent, England. During this time Dilcia was
taught several modules including: An Introduction to Biodiversity, Population and Ecology,
Conservation and the Law, Social Sciences approaches to Environmental Learning, and
Conservation Marketing.
These course modules were comprised of lectures, tutorials, seminars and field trips totalling 20
contact hours per module, as well as periods of student study.
Dilci Patt, Belize
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Field Planning
At the conclusion of the Kent Diploma Course, Ms. Dilcia Trejo returned to Belize to implement
her campaign. Once she arrived in Belize Ms. Trejo’s first task was to conduct a site assessment
which consisted of a rigorous three month analysis of the conditions, threats and needs of her
target site.
More specifically she conducted this through:
• Literature review
• Stakeholder reunions
• Questionnaire survey
The end result was a comprehensive Project Plan which she would be implementing for the
following ten months of the program.
Unfortunately, after this document was accepted at the University of Kent, Ms. Trejo was unable
to continue the campaign and a replacement had to be located immediately. Left without an
educator the project stayed in a precarious situation and an urgent strategy had to be devised.
GreenReef announced the search for a new educator.
During the interview held in Belize City for identifying the replacement for Ms. Dilcia Trejo, the
only candidate that showed up – Ms Dilci Patt was recommended by GreenReef, Rare, PACT
and UNDP/GEF to fill the vacuum left by Ms. Trejo.
Rafael Manzanero was appointed by Rare to work closely with Ms. Patt and to train her
immediately. The first training was conducted for three days in San Pedro with the intention of
preparing Dilci for her community outreach and school visits. Subsequently, other hand on and
technical assistance was provided throughout the year with the production of materials, reporting
and evaluation. Rafael also worked closely with Mr. Mito Paz in the preparation of reports, and
providing technical advise.
Dilci Patt, Belize
13
Site Assessment
Pre-Project Stakeholder Meeting
The first stakeholder reunion was held on the 16th of December in Belize City. At this meeting
were present: Miguel Usher of UNDP/GEF, Isaias Magil of the Fisheries Department, Angeline
Valentine of Coastal Zone, Lincoln McSweney of Gales Point village, Evaristo Verde of Amigos
de la Bahía, Leonel Heredia of Friends of Swallow Caye, Wil Meheia of TIDE, Marcelo Windsor of
the Forest Department and Mito Paz of GreenReef. This meeting which started at 10:30 was
facilitated by Dilcia Trejo at the office of the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute.
The meeting started with an introduction of participants, followed by an explanation about a
concept model. This model in the words of Dilcia basically shows the factors that affect the target
condition. She furthermore explained what a direct and indirect factor was.
The target condition according to Dilcia was described as: Manatees along the Coasts of Belize.
Then ideas were generated about the direct factors. This was done by means of a group
dynamic, where groups of 3’s were arranged and participants brainstormed for five minutes. Then
they wrote on a typing sheet their ideas. The most “important” threat was passed in front by each
group. These were placed on the wall and then paired off. Then the second threat was passed
accordingly.
Three indirect factors were chosen and the same procedure like the previous exercise was
followed. The relationships were then established with the direct, indirect and target condition
resulting in an array of ideas reflecting the major threats to the conservation of manatees along
the coast as follows: environmental pollution, entanglement, poaching, marine habitat destruction,
human waste disposal and water craft collision. Some of the indirect threats mentioned were –
lack of laws and law enforcement, erosion, siltation, lack of environmental outreach programs,
lack of wildlife policies, lack of financial resources, lack of management plan of protected areas.
As a next step, a discussion of the conservation education activities was presented. In this
manner, Dilcia gave a description of the badges, posters and duration of the campaign. The
reunion concluded at approximately 12:15 p.m.
Dilci Patt, Belize
14
Stakeholder Matrix
Table 6: Stakeholder matrix.
Participant/
Stakeholder
UNDP/GEF
Name
Key Issues
Interest
Miguel Usher
The use of funding
for project activities
Fisheries
Isaias Majil
Insight as to the
management
of
marine ecosystems
and marine reserves
which are closely
related to manatee
conservation
Can
provide
insight as to how
to improve in
carrying out the
actual campaign
project so as to
get
community
participation
Can
provide
insight as to how
manatees have
been
protected
up to now and
can allow for a
possibility to set
up
a
marine
reserve in the
future
Coastal Zone
Angeline
Valentine
Previous
research
Friends
Swallow
Caye
Lionel Heredia
Management of
manatee reserve
Marcelo
Windsor
Law
and
enforcement
of
Conservation
Dilci Patt, Belize
Potential
contribution
A change in the
way the project is
being carried out
at present to
make it function
better with the
community
support.
The collaboration
of
the
organization
in
the
continuous
protection of the
manatee
and
other
marine
species that are
endangered
Consequence
More community
involvement
General
information as to
the
status,
distribution etc of
manatees.
Experience
in
previous
community
out
reach
geared
towards manatee
conservation
Insight
as
to
other ways of
community
outreach
for
manatee
conservation.
Provide
a
gateway
for
continuous
programs
for
conservation.
a
The experience
of co-managing a
manatee reserve
and
broad
information as to
what affects the
species
and
basic information
about
the
manatee
and
manatee
conservation.
An alternative to
making
the
reserve
known
nationally due to
community
outreach
programs which
will emphasise on
these
areas
which
are
involved
in
conservation
More knowledge
given
to
the
people about the
marine
ecosystems and
how they can
help
for
maintaining
sustainable use
of the marine
resources
Further
community
outreach
and
educating more
people
about
manatees
and
factors that have
either a negative
or positive impact
on them and their
surrounding
environment
Getting
people
involved with the
reserve
and
educating
the
people about the
reserve and the
main objectives
that it has and
the purpose that
it serves with
regards
to
conservation
law
Knowledge as to
laws pertaining to
the hunting and
molestation
of
wildlife. Overall
law
knowledge
To provide a way
to
educate
people about the
regulations which
exist
regarding
conservation
The
general
public and law
enforcement
officials will have
knowledge as to
when a law/laws
manatee
15
pertaining
conservation.
to
Amigos de la
Bahia
Evaristo Verde
Management of
marine reserve
a
Knowledge as to
the factors that
affect the marine
ecosystems and
information as to
how the problems
can be minimized
Gales Point
wildlife
Sanctuary
Lincoln
McSweaney
The management of
a nature reserve
Information
relating
to
manatees
and
marine species
conservation.
Insight as to the
management of a
nature reserve
Kevin Andrewin
Dilci Patt, Belize
Knowledge and
experience
in
manatees
and
manatee
conservation as
well as general
marine
conservation
is being broken
and action should
be taken
Provide
an
alternative way to
educate people
about the factors
that affect the
marine species
and
give
information as to
the
reserves
which
are
involved
in
marine
conservation
getting
people
involved with the
reserve
An
alternative
way of relating
information to the
general
public
through
a
community
outreach program
and
getting
community
involvement for
the reserve
Relating
information and
passing on of
knowledge to the
people
of
different
communities
Community
involvement with
the
reserve
informing
the
people about the
reserve
the
purpose it serves
and the basic
background
of
the establishment
of the reserve
Ensure
community
participation
in
order
for
the
continuous build
up of knowledge
among
the
people so that
they know about
marine
ecosystems
in
order for them to
develop
and
follow sustainable
use
to
the
resources
present
More knowledge
passed on to the
people of the
different
communities.
16
Questionnaire Survey Distribution
Work began on this questionnaire survey on January 28th, 2003. The first draft was developed by
Miss Dilcia Trejo and this was circulated to Rare staff for review. After the revisions were made
from Rare, Dilcia proceeded to make the modifications and copies were made. The survey
consisted of 26 questions and a total of 872 copies were made.
Table 7: Distribution of pre-project surveys.
Area
Corozal Town
Chunox
Copper Bank
Mullins River
Gales Point
Dangriga
Hopkins
Placencia
Seine Bight
Independence
Monkey River
Punta Gorda
Barranco
Belize City
Bomba
Maskall
# of questionnaires
79
07
07
02
03
88
10
10
08
40
02
45
02
490
02
06
# of enumerators
3
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
12
1
1
Phone numbers of the primary contacts were obtained from GreenReef’s Executive Director, Mito
Paz, and calls were followed up by Dilcia. Then on the 28th of January Dilcia travelled to the
districts, visited the key contacts, provided them with the survey instructions and left the survey
forms. Some of the key contacts in the districts were – Mr. Graham Sampson, Edwin Colon,
Timothy Flores, Dirk Francisco and Erick Hernandez.
Dilci Patt, Belize
17
Pre-Project Questionnaire Survey Results
The questionnaire survey was carried out in the nineteen different target communities along the
coast of Belize. A total of 600 questionnaires were considered favourable enough to be used in
the preparation of the survey results. It was advised that 1% of the target population totalling 876
surveys be carried out. However, due to situations beyond control only 600 surveys were filled
out completely and favourably. The 600 questionnaire forms that were completed represented
0.68% of the 1% intended sample.
From the results of the survey it is clear that there was a bias in the selection of the people in the
age group 10-19 to answer to the questionnaire survey. They accounted for 57.9% of the survey.
This was the most dominant group that answered to the survey. The age group of 20-29 was the
second dominant accounting for 18.9% of the survey. The age group accounting for the least
amount in the survey was the age group 9 or under which made up 1.7% of the survey
population.
Dilci Patt, Belize
18
This graph gives an indication as to where the respondents originate/live. The bulk of the
respondents are found in Belize City which is the most populated. The table below shows the
number of people who responded in each area.
Table 8: Number of survey respondents by community.
Community
Belize City
Burrell Boom
Calcutta
Carolina Village
Caye Caulker
Chunox
Copper Bank
Corozal
Dangriga
Independence
Ladyville
Libertad village
Monkey River
Orange walk
Placencia
Punta Gorda
Ranchito Village
San Pedro
Sarteneja
Seine Bight
Other (na)
Dilci Patt, Belize
Counts
201
4
2
2
13
8
7
63
99
40
5
4
3
9
10
44
5
44
16
7
14
Percent
33.50%
0.67%
0.33%
0.33%
2.17%
1.33%
1.17%
10.50%
16.50%
6.67%
0.83%
0.67%
0.50%
1.50%
1.67%
7.33%
0.83%
7.33%
2.67%
1.17%
0.67%
19
Of the survey population, 382 persons were females of which this was 54.7% and 272, 45.3%
were males. These results are from a total of 600 surveys which were fully eligible for data
collection.
From the data that was collected, the majority of the sample population had no special radio
listening times which accounts for 31.2% (187). 19.0% of the population listens to the radio
Dilci Patt, Belize
20
between 6:01-10:00 a.m. From 6:01-10:00 p.m 14.3% of the population listens to the radio. The
same percentage, 14.3% listens to the radio all day. A small sample of the population 6.8% does
not listen to the radio. After 10:00 p.m 6.3% of the population listens to the radio. A total of 5.2%
of the sample population listens to the radio at 10:01 to 2:00 p.m. The percentage that listens to
the radio from 2:01 to 6:00 p.m is 4.8%. 3.8% of the sample population listens to the radio before
6:00 a.m. The smallest sample of the population 3.2% does not know at what time they listen to
the radio.
The most dominant radio station was love F.M. with 42.8% of the sample population responding
as listening to this radio station. More F.M was the second dominant station with 11.5% of the
population deciding on this radio station. The stations with the least listening population, probably
due to low frequency, are Faith F.M. and Wamalalai radio station both with 0.3% of the sample
population.
Table 9: Tabulated results of the question: What is your preferred radio station?
Radio Station
Love F.M
More F.M
Estereo tu y yo
Don’t listen
Krem
Don’t know
Wave radio station
Reef Radio
Estereo amor
Radio bahia
Power mix
All stations
Faith F.M.
Wamalai
Other
Dilci Patt, Belize
Counts
257
69
45
41
41
36
36
31
22
7
4
2
2
2
4
Percentage
42.8%
11.5%
7.5%
6.8%
6.8%
6.0%
6.0%
5.2%
3.7%
1.2%
0.7%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.7%
21
The most read newspaper amongst the sample population Amandala with 52.1% (312). The
Belize Times was the second dominant with 14.0% (84). The newspaper that was read the least
was The Placencia Breeze with 0.2% (1) probably because it is not distributed widely in Belize.
Dilci Patt, Belize
22
From the graph it can be deduced that romantic songs were the favourite among the sample
population which accounted for 12.0% of the sample population. Hip hop was the second best
choice with 10.7% of those interviewed. Rock was the least liked option of all with 1.7% of the
population choosing this option.
From the pie chart it is noticed that the majority of the sample population thinks that manatees
live in shallow coastal water accounting for 68.3% (409). Of the sample population 31.4% (188)
of the people thought that manatees live in rivers. A small part of the population yet a surprising
amount of people do not know where the manatees live 8.0% (48). A small part of the population
responded that manatees live in the forest 1.3% (8). The option chosen the least was that
manatees live in the country side 0.2% (1).
Dilci Patt, Belize
23
From the results it is obvious that most people 67.7% (406) know that the manatees eat aquatic
plants. A surprisingly large portion of the population 17.2% (103) does not know what manatees
eat. 10.7% (64) of the sample population think that manatees eat fish. Another 2.8% of the
population (17) thought that manatees eat crabs and crustaceans. The least part of the sample
population 1.7% (10) thought that manatees eat other organisms.
Dilci Patt, Belize
24
From the results obtained, it was obvious that most people 43.7% (262) thought that boating
accidents were the main threat to the survival of the manatees. 14.7% (88) of the sample
population thought that the major threat to the manatees was entrapment in fishing nets. Hunting
was thought to be the third most common threat to manatees 13.2% (79). A surprising percent of
the sample population 12.7% (76) did not know what was the major threat to the manatee
populations of Belize. The options with the least counts were all of the above, not sure and other
all of which scored 0.2% (1).
Dilci Patt, Belize
25
The results of the survey show that a majority of the people 63.3% (380) who were surveyed did
not know what was the fine for the illegal hunting of the manatee. Of the population that was
surveyed, 30.8% (185) knew that the fine for the illegal hunting of the manatee was $500.00 or
more. Only a few people responded that the fine for the illegal hunting of the manatee is under
$50 and $50-$199 both options with 0.7% (4) of the population.
The results from the survey show that the majority of the sample population 66.0% (396) thought
that the fine for the illegal hunting of manatees should be $500 or more. Of the 600 persons
surveyed, (152) 25.3% did not know what to say as to what the fine for illegal hunting of
manatees should be. Of the total sample population 0.5% (3) thought that the fee for the illegal
hunting of manatees should be under $50.00.
Dilci Patt, Belize
26
From the chart presented, it is noticed that a large portion of the sample population was not
familiar with the fact that there exist reserves for the protection of manatees. 36.3% (218)
responded that they did not know it there were any reserves set up for the protection of
manatees. A surprising 24.7% (148) responded that there were absolutely no reserves set up for
manatee conservation. 18.7% (112) of the survey population responded that they thought that
there was a manatee reserve but did not know the name of the reserve. The table below shows
the tabulated results of the survey.
Dilci Patt, Belize
27
The survey results show that most people 42.7% (256) trust the marine/fisheries officers to give
the most true and accurate information on the environment of Belize. Secondly 12.7% (76) of the
survey population believes the radio gives the most accurate information while 11.2% (67) believe
that the television give the most accurate information on the environment of Belize. The least
trusted to give the most accurate information on the environment are politicians. Only .08% (5) of
the sample population believe that the politicians give accurate information on the environment of
Belize.
Dilci Patt, Belize
28
The survey results show that 81.5% (489) of the population know that the manatees are
threatened by humans and may disappear. 10.2% (61) of the sample population was not sure
about the fact that manatees are threatened by humans. The final 8.3% (50) did not know that
the manatees were threatened by humans and may disappear.
Dilci Patt, Belize
29
Concept Model Summary
The target condition in this conceptual model (Figure 2) is Manatees along the coast of Belize.
Manatees are directly affected by illegal hunting (poaching) which has been a common practice
throughout the years since the meat was used for food, and the bones were used to make
trinkets and for medicinal purposes. However, poaching has decreased in recent years with the
passing of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1981, which protects the manatees. There are still
instances of illegal hunting. Pollution and the misuse of fishing gear also affect the manatees
living along the coast of Belize because people do not know or do not care. Manatees can get
entwined and trapped in the nets causing the appendages of the animal to become infected,
amputated and even cause the death of the animal. The accidental ingestion of hooks and other
fishing gear by manatees can cause the digestive system of the manatee to be severely
damaged causing death.
Habitat destruction has been one of the most important factors that affect the manatees in Belize.
Increased tourism has caused the development of the coastal zone, which has been detrimental
to the survival of the manatees. Mangrove destruction causes erosion which in turn results in
sedimentation and causes sea grass destruction as sand settles on the sea grass which is the
manatees’ primary food source. Moreover, the fact that land is cleared for agricultural purposes
results in fertilizer and pesticide run-off which causes eutrophication and damages the vegetation,
this in turn affects the marine ecosystem. This also causes changes in salinity, pH and the
amount of light received which affects marine organisms. The damages caused on the marine
vegetation affects the manatees since sea grass is their primary food source. Human waste
disposal is a problem in some areas which are relatively close to water bodies, posing a problem
to marine life. This effluent organic waste causes eutrophication and affects the vegetation on
which manatees (and other wildlife) feed. This problem is exacerbated by a lack of environmental
outreach and a lack of monitoring.
Water craft collisions are also a common factor affecting manatees. This is caused by
uncontrolled speeding of boats. Manatee/boat collisions have been a source of manatee deaths
although not on a large scale (there are laws regulating watercraft speed). However, the laws are
not followed by all watercraft operators and there is poor enforcement.
Most of the factors that affect the target condition are influenced by a lack of a management plan
in the area since there is no constant monitoring of:
• Adherence to rules and regulations regarding the illegal hunting of manatees and law
enforcement
• land clearance
• human waste disposal
Additionally, a lack of funding is restricting human resources to carry out monitoring and the
production of a management plan for the area.
.
Dilci Patt, Belize
30
Figure 2: Final Concept Model
Lack of
Laws and law
enforcement
Environmental
pollution
Fishing gear
Lack of
financial
resources
Lack of wildlife
policies
Poaching
Clearing of
mangroves
Erosion
Lack of
regulation for
land clearing
Manatees
in the
Coastal
Zone of
Belize
Marine habitat destruction
Siltation
Human waste disposal
Lack of financial
resources
Lack of environmental
outreach programs
Water craft collision
Lack of
Management plan for
the area
Lack of human
resources
Dilci Patt, Belize
31
Revised Conceptual Model Narrative
From the revised conceptual model it is evident that the most important, direct common and
number one factor that affects manatees in Belize are water craft collisions. This is caused by
uncontrolled speeding of boats. Manatee/boat collisions have been a source of manatee deaths
although not on a large scale (there are laws regulating watercraft speed). However, the laws are
not followed by all watercraft operators and there is poor enforcement. The manatee/watercraft
collisions are also influenced by a lack of environmental out reach to the communities in which
case education can help to mitigate this danger.
Manatees are directly affected by illegal hunting (poaching), thought to be the second most direct
threat to the manatees. This has been a common practice throughout the years since the meat
was used for food, and the bones were used to make trinkets and for medicinal purposes.
However, poaching has decreased in recent years with the passing of the Wildlife Protection Act
of 1981, which protects the manatees. There are still instances of illegal hunting, whereby it is
believed that people are forced to find an alternative way of income generation. However, both
watercraft collision and poaching fundamentally occur due to a lack of financial resources for the
development of a management plan for manatee conservation and law enforcement. The result
is a lack of human resources such as law enforcement officers. Therefore, laws are not enforced
and the problem remains. A lack of environmental outreach has also played a part in the problem
of poaching. People do not know or are not aware that there is a fine for illegal hunting or are not
aware that there are other ways to use marine resources in a sustainable manner.
The misuse of fishing gear, due to a lack of knowledge on the part of the fishermen also affects
the manatees living along the coast of Belize because they do not know or do not care that
manatees can get entwined and trapped in the nets causing the appendages of the animal to
become infected, amputated and even cause the death of the animal. The accidental ingestion of
hooks and other fishing gear by manatees can cause the digestive system of the manatee to be
severely damaged causing death.
Environmental pollution and habitat destruction have been important factors that affect the
manatees in Belize. Increased tourism has caused the development of the coastal zone, which
has opened another threat on the survival of the manatees. Mangrove destruction causes erosion
resulting in sedimentation and which in turn causes sea grass destruction as the sand settles on
the sea grass which is the manatee primary food source. Moreover, the fact that land is cleared
for agricultural purposes results in fertilizer and pesticide run-off which causes eutrophication,
damages the vegetation and in turn affects the marine ecosystem. This also causes changes in
salinity, pH and the amount of light received which consequently affects marine organisms. The
damage of the marine vegetation affects the manatees since sea grass is their primary food
source. Human waste disposal is a problem in some areas which are relatively close to water
bodies, posing a problem to marine life. This effluent organic waste causes eutrophication and
affects the vegetation on which manatees (and other marine species) feed. This problem is
exacerbated by a lack of environmental outreach and a lack of monitoring and enforcement of
laws
Dilci Patt, Belize
32
The Flagship Species
Selection of the Manatee as the Flagship Species
The manatee is considered a charismatic and gentle species; therefore an easy selection as a
flagship species. The manatee is an endangered species which can be observed living in areas
along the coast of Belize. It faces many threats such as boat related accidents, improper human
waste disposal, habitat destruction to mention a few. Therefore, it is essential that the people be
made aware of the factors that can lead to the extinction of the species. Moreover, the habitat is
home to countless other organisms. The sea grass beds and mangroves for example, apart from
providing food for the manatees is a nesting and resting ground for lobster, shrimp, small fishes,
turtles which are also endangered, and other marine organisms. It is also hoped that this
conservation campaign also triggers manatee awareness and conservation in neighbouring
countries such as Guatemala and Honduras where the manatees are more threatened.
Description
The manatee is a large marine mammal that
inhabits the waters of the earth. Manatees belong
to the order Sirenia and family Trichechidae. There
are several species of manatees. One species the Stellar sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was
hunted to extinction twenty seven years after it was
discovered. Those existing today includes the
Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis), the
West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis)
and the West Indian manatee of which there are two
subspecies. The subspecies includes the Floridian
manatee
(Trichechus manatus latitrostris) which
Figure 3: The flagship species: the manatee.
mostly resides along Florida and the Antillean
subspecies (Trichechus manatus manatus) which is native to Belize and other neighbouring
countries in Central America (Auil, 1998). The West Indian Antillean manatee (Trichechus
manatus manatus) is a large, gentle slow moving marine mammal. It can grow up to thirteen feet
in length and can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. However, the average manatee grows to be 10 feet
long and 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. The manatee is of a grey colour. It has front flippers and a flat
paddle shaped tail.
Feeding Habits
Manatees are herbivores, that is, they mostly feed on marine vegetation, such as sea grass of
which there are several types in Belize. They feed on turtle grass, manatee grass, shoal grass
and red mangrove. They consume about 60 to 100 pounds of marine vegetation which is about
10% of their body weight (Auil, 1998). They are grazers which spend most of their time feeding
up to eight hours grazing. Sometimes, they accidentally ingest organisms such as diatoms and
crustaceans while feeding on micro algae.
Due to the nature of the vegetation upon which manatees feed, they replace molars which have
been worn out. The new molars are formed at the back and are pushed forward as the old ones
are worn out. They use their front flippers to bring vegetation to their mouth (Sadusky and
Thompson, 1996).
Dilci Patt, Belize
33
Reproduction
Manatees have a slow reproductive rate which makes them vulnerable to extinction. Females
reach sexual maturity between the ages of four to seven. Only one calf is born every two to five
years and twins are very rare. Manatees have a gestation period of thirteen months. At birth, a
manatee calf is usually 4 – 4.5 feet long and weighs about 70 pounds. The newborn’s primary
source of food is the mother’s milk. They nurse from the mother’s nipples which are located
underneath her flippers. The calf is able to nibble on marine vegetation a few weeks after birth
since they are born with premolars and molars. The calf remains with its mother for one or two
years after birth.
Distribution
The West Indian manatee, as mentioned, is divided into two subspecies, the Floridian subspecies
and the Antillean subspecies. The former resides along the coast of Florida and as far as
Louisiana, Virginia and the Carolinas. The Antillean subspecies is native to Belize and resides
along the coast of Belize. The manatee distribution is widespread in Central America. There
have been manatee populations observed in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Manatees have also been observed in the Mexico area more specifically in the Chetumal,
Quintana Roo Bay (Auil, 1998).
Protected Areas
In Belize there are three protected areas that
have been established for the protection of
manatees. These are, the Corozal Bay Wildlife
Sanctuary, Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary and
Swallow Caye. The Corozal Bay Wildlife
Sanctuary lies within an international boundary
between Mexico and Belize. The Mexican
government has also designated an area for
manatee protection known as Sanctuario de
Manati in Quintana Roo. Therefore, these two
areas form a trans-boundary wildlife sanctuary.
In Belize, the Coastal Zone Management
Authority and Institute (CZMA&I) is the leading
organization when it comes to manatee
conservation. It was under the support of
CZMA&I that the Belize Marine Mammal
Stranding Network (BBMSN) was formed. This
non-profit group has four district response
teams as follows: Corozal which is under
Wildtracks, Belize City which is under CZMA&I,
Stann Creek which falls under the Forestry
Department and Toledo which falls under TIDE
(Toledo Institute for Development and
Environment.
The Belize Marine Mammal
stranding network deals with orphaned manatee
calfs, investigating the cause of death of
manatees that are found dead among other
aspects.
One of their main objectives is
gathering data on manatees and the factors that
Dilci Patt, Belize
Figure 4: Manatee protected areas in Belize.
34
affect the species. The network has responded to incidences such as that of Hercules and
Woody.
Hercules was found on April 26, 1999 in a canal at the Vista Del Mar area in Belize City. When
he was found, he was dying and was just about a month old. Hercules was housed at the
Fisheries Department/Taiwanese shrimp hatchery and was placed in a concrete tank which was
filled with rain water. There, Hercules was monitored 24 hours everyday. Hercules was then
transported to Xcaret in Mexico where facilities were bigger for the development and well being of
Hercules. Another incident to which the BMMSN responded came 6 months later (1999) after
Hercules was found. This time, the manatee male calf, Woody as he was named, was found in
the Buttonwood Bay area of Belize City. He was kept in an inflatable pool for more than 3 weeks
after which he was transferred to the Belize Zoo on the 1st of November 1999. Woody was then
transported to Sarteneja in the Corozal district where a caretaker looked after him. Both Hercules
and Woody were released in 2001.
Threats
Belize is a developing country that is sustained by tourist activities, fishing, and agricultural
practices. In one way or another, these activities pose a threat to the survival of manatees in
Belize. One of the factors that affect manatees is the unsupervised or careless use of fishing
gear such as fishing lines, nets and hooks. When the fishing lines or hooks are accidentally
ingested by a manatee it can cause damage to the digestive system and possible death. When
entangled in fishing lines infection and amputation of the appendages can result (Auil, 1998).
Habitat destruction and alteration due to increasing development of the coastal areas of Belize
has also affected the survival of the manatee. Land is usually cleared and this causes land to
erode. This in turn causes sedimentation and covers the sea grass beds which are the primary
source of food for the manatees. Apart from sedimentation the clearance of land in agricultural
communities which are close to the coast results in agrochemical run off which in turn pollutes the
coastal waters and the marine and freshwater vegetation (Auil, 1998).
Boat traffic poses a threat to the propagation of the manatee species. The increase in tourism
has increased the boat traffic due to an increase in tour operators. Speeding laws have been
passed but sometimes these laws are not followed. Manatees lie just below the surface to rest
and sometimes they are not seen and the boat collides into them causing injuries which can
eventually lead to death (Auil, 1998).
Dilci Patt, Belize
35
Conservation Education Activities
Poster
Posters proved to be useful in drawing the attention of the
people to the plight of the West Indian Manatee. The
manatee is a wonderful water mammal found along the
coastline of Belize. Although there are some 700
manatees known to live in Belize, observing them can be
relatively difficult unless one is nearby Swallow Caye, the
mouth of the Belize River and Gales Point among a few
other specific areas. The poster therefore was an
important visual for people to learn a little more about this
great mammal. The manatee is of grey colour, weighing
approximately 1200 lbs to 3000 lbs. Manatees are animals
that feed their young with milk and on the poster drawn by
Terry Wright the illustration depicts a mother manatee with
its pup.
Figure 5: Campaign poster.
The poster printed in sky blue colour, grey and yellow makes it attractive and the letters stand
out. The concluding text is written in English and Spanish, in order to cater for the English and
Spanish speaking people located along the coastline from the communities of Sarteneja to
Barranco.
The poster’s title, printed in blue and white reads the following: “MANATEES MATTER TO ME.”
Below the artwork is the name of the manatee as well as the scientific name: “The West Indian
Manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus.”
The body of the poster contains the important message in a summarized manner as follows:
Like the various cultures that have lived together peacefully and
proud along our coastline, the manatee has survived in harmony
with nature. Their future lies in our hearts.
The concluding statement encourages people to protect the manatee as follows:
I Take Care Of Manatees, Do You?
Yo Protejo El Manati, Y Tu?
Funding and other support agencies are acknowledged by having their logos printed at the very
bottom of the poster and includes the following: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Rare,
GreenReef Environmental Institute, UNDP/Global Environment Facility, and the Protected Areas
Conservation Trust.
A total of 5,000 posters were printed by Printech Unlimited of Santa Clara, California. The first
design was sent out to this company during the second week of March 2003 and the printed
materials arrived on the 10th of April, 2003. Distribution began immediately in schools, as well as
other key public areas.
Dilci Patt, Belize
36
Fact Sheet
The fact sheets were sent off for printing during the second week of March. These were referred
to Printech Unlimited of Santa Clara, California. 5,000 fact sheets were produced. Before the
products were sent off, they were reviewed by several representatives from various
organizations, including CZMA&I, the Forest Department, UNDP/GEF, Rare and GreenReef.
Fact sheets were distributed within the nineteen communities namely: Corozal, Sarteneja,
Chunox, Copper Bank, Maskall, Bomba, Belize City, Gales Point, Mullins River, Dangriga,
Hopkins, Seine Bight, Placencia, Punta Gorda, Punta Negra, Barranco, Caye Caulker, San Pedro
and Independence. Additional communities visited included: Rancho Dolores, Bermudian
Landing, Sand Hill and Ladyville.
The fact sheet consisted of 8 pages. The front cover contains the same illustration, title and motto
like that of the poster. Pages two and three introduces the target species, provides a general
description of the mammal, explains the distribution, status and threats surrounding manatees,
and gives an account of the life history, habitat and social behaviour of the mammal. The middle
pages four and five describes the three protected areas specifically designated for manatees in
Belize and provides a map of each of these protected areas. Pages six and seven offers a
general overview of the legislations protecting manatees in Belize and refers to CITES as well as
the Wildlife Protection Act of 1981. It also describes briefly the conservation and research
currently being undertaken in Belize such as that of Friends of Swallow Caye and the aerial
surveys conducted annually by CZMA&I. The last section makes a plea on how manatees can
be protected in the Belizean coastal waters and notes it in the following manner: “Due to various
protected areas designated for manatee conservation and the government’s record for
environmental protection, these creatures as well as natural areas can provide economic benefits
for the people in a sustainable manner.”
The last page offers some tips on what one can do to help protect the manatee populations in
Belize as follows:
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Slowing boat speed, particularly in the following areas: between Belize City and
Port O-Stuck, in the Belize River, the Placencia Lagoon, Southern Lagoon and
all narrow mangrove channels.
Not using boat engines in dead-end creeks.
Protecting the mangrove and sea grass beds that offer food and shelter to
manatees and another marine life.
Supporting and participating in manatee week which is a whole week
designated for manatees and manatee education!
The logos of the funding and support organizations are placed on the last part of the fact sheet
which includes the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, UNDP/GEF, PACT, as well as
GreenReef and Rare.
Dilci Patt, Belize
37
Bumper Sticker
Like the posters and fact sheets, the bumper stickers were sent off for printing during the second
week of March. These were referred to Printech Unlimited of Santa Clara, California. 2,500
bumper stickers were produced. Before the products were sent off, they were reviewed by
several representatives of various organizations, including Coastal Zone, Forest Department,
UNDP/GEF, Rare and GreenReef. When all modifications had been made and products
approved, they were subsequently sent off for printing. The finished products arrived on the 10th
of April. The bumper stickers follow the same colour design and contain the illustration drawn by
Terry Wright consisting of a mother manatee with a calf. The title Manatees Matter to Me is the
main message of the stickers and carries the motto I Care for manatees, do you?
The distribution of these stickers started on May 12th and went through December 2003.
Distribution started on the northern districts and as Dilci visited the other villages and towns the
dissemination was made among adults and school students. By the end of the project period the
distribution of the bumper stickers was fully completed.
Badges
Like the posters, bumper stickers and the fact sheet, the badges were sent
off for printing during the second week of March. These were referred to
Printech Unlimited of Santa Clara, California. 2,500 badges were
produced. The cost of the four products [poster, badges, factsheets and
bumperstickers] were produced at a total of $10,000.00 (Bz), excluding the
cost of shipment and entrance tax. Before the badge design was sent off,
this was reviewed by several representatives of various organizations,
including Coastal Zone, Forest Department, UNDP/GEF, Rare and
GreenReef.
Figure 6: Campaign
bumper sticker,
badge and poster.
The first design was made by Dilcia Trejo and Mito Paz of GreenReef. The
badge became a very attractive button that children appreciated obtaining
from ‘Hercules, the Manatee’ and served as a strong incentive for children
to participate in the school presentations. The badge contains the same
manatee illustration and the title “Manatees Matter to Me!”. Badges were
received late since they were misplaced during shipment and a new order
had to be made. In total 5,000 badges were obtained at GreenReef in San
Pedro. Over 4,800 badges were distributed in the target area among
schoolchildren, youth and adults.
Puppet Show
The puppet script was drafted during the month of April. The script was sent to Rafael
Manzanero for revision and he contacted Mrs. Maarga Waals from Monkey Bay to design and
produce the hand puppets. The purchase of materials for the puppet theatre was made by Mito
Paz at San Pedro consisting of PVC pipes, elbows, glue and hand-saw. The total cost for these
materials was approximately $250.00.
Two additional puppets were obtained from Carmelita Cajun in order to replace two that were
made in a stuff toy fashion. Curtains were sewn by Ms. Lydia Patt.
Script for the puppet theatre was drafted by Rare’s Rafael Manzanero. The script contained both
an English and Creole language.
Dilci Patt, Belize
38
After all materials were ready, these were given to a group of students from Corozal Community
College to be rehearsed at the Banquita’s House of Culture through the coordination of Mrs.
Loyola Castillo. The puppet show was then recorded by Royel’s Photo studio at the cost of
$35.00 dollars. A copy was passed on to Rafael to view. The recording, however, needed more
fine tuning and for this reason it was not presented in schools. The script used for the recording is
located in Appendix 1.
Costume
Learning through fun is the most productive manner to teach children environmental issues since
the experience stays with them for much longer and are able to relate easier to the topics being
presented. This style was used in the primary schools and the manatee costume became the
main attraction.
Two costumes were created for the program. The first one was produced in Chetumal, Mexico.
The second costume was constructed by Mrs. Maarga Waals of Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Funds utilized for the payment of the costume were provided through the grant approved by
PACT and the total amount paid for both was approximately $850.00.
The first costume was finished during the month of April 2003 while the
second was ready by September of the same year. These costumes
comprised of several parts: head top piece, body piece, and foot covers.
The manatee costume was used in primary schools throughout the
eighteen communities in Belize and was seen by over 17,000 students. A
number of volunteers participated in wearing the costume for the
presentations, including: Gisbert, Javier Herrera, Carlos Galindo, Kristen
Stelljes, and many other students from the primary schools.
“Hercules”, the name given to the manatee costume character made the
school presentations lively and interactive and presented children with
Figure 7: Flagship
badges, posters, and fact sheets. “Hercules” also participated at the Reef
species costume.
festival that Green Reef and Hol Chan Marine reserve hosted on May
2003 as well as on the Sound Fest organized by the Belize Tourism
Board in the island of San Pedro on September 11th 2003.
School Song
Developing a school song about the manatee proved to be a very exciting activity as well as
teaching it to the students of the primary schools within the coastal communities of the target
area. The importance of teaching children about the plight of the manatees through a song
makes information flow very easy from teachers to students and hopefully by extension to the
parents.
The song was written and sung by Mr. Dennis Wolfe of San Pedro and the first version of the
song was produced by him as well. Another version of the same song was then developed by
students of Corozal Community College with the intention of using voices of the youth. This
second version was rehearsed and subsequently recorded by Ludwig Productions studio in
Belize City performed by the Corozal Community College and later on that same occasion
performed at the Sound Fest in the Princess Hotel and Casino.
By playing this song over and over the message of the plight of the manatee remained in the
memories of the school children. It provided critical information of the need to protect them from
Dilci Patt, Belize
39
speeding boats. The school song was taught to over 17,000 school children in over 153
elementary schools located throughout the 19 coastal communities in Belize.
“I Love the Manatee”
Chorus
I love the manatee
The Gentle Creature of the sea
Manatees Matter to Me
Help save the manatee
Verse 1
Along the waters of our coast
And in our rivers too
The manatees swim peacefully
They never bother me or you
We must be careful with our boats
And watch for manatees
Or soon these creatures will be gone
No longer will they swim our sea
Once we could not count them all
Now there is just a few
With out our help they die away
It’s up to me it’s up to you
© Music: Dennis Wolfe
Lyrics: Dennis Wolfe
Primary School Visit
The objective of the school visitation program was to carry a
manatee conservation message in all the primary schools of
the nineteen communities during the project life.
These visits served to introduce students to the Antillean
Manatee and allow Dilci Patt an opportunity to talk about the
manatee and its habitat; rules and regulations that protect
the manatee in Belize, as well as describe the special
protected areas designated for manatees.
The manatee presenters consisted of two persons, namely Figure 8: School children gather
the educator and an assistant who wore the costume. Rare’s around the manatee costume.
representative, Rafael Manzanero gave the first
presentations which consisted of a 45 minute interactive program in San Pedro.
Presentations normally started with a short introduction from the school Director or Principal who
presented the educator. This was followed by a short story related to the environment which
would help the counterpart to introduce the mascot. “Hercules, Hercules” shouted the children so
that the manatee could hear and finally appear in front of the children.
Dilci Patt, Belize
40
“Hercules” would appear after a few seconds that the children started shouting. He would be
received with applauses from the students in the auditorium. He would then greet the students
sitting in the front row and within the other rows with huge hugs. A prize package was offered to
students that would help identify what type of animal “Hercules” was. Dilci Patt, the educator
would then offer posters, badges, fact sheets and a few bumper stickers to students that would
answer questions.
The children were then introduced to interesting information and facts of the manatee by starting
with the different species of manatees, its characteristics, threats that affect them, laws and
regulations that protect them and the three protected areas that manatees have in Belize. Dilci
would give time to students to ask questions. Students had opportunities to win badges or
posters.
Children were urged to protect them and to spread the information to their parents and other
relatives and friends so that they would also be exposed to manatee conservation.
Dilci then asked questions to see how much information was grasped by students and followed
up with the introduction of the school song, which she would read from a brystal board. Children
were asked to read along with her so that they could then rehearse. On many occasions students
or teachers would request the song to be played as many as three times. During the song Dilci
would get children to dance with “Hercules, the Manatee.” The song facilitated the learning
process and re-enforced the message already given.
“Hercules” would then leave the classroom but not before giving hugs to the children and waving
goodbye. After the departure of “Hercules”, Dilci would invite the students to participate on an art
competition hosted by Green Reef. She would also encourage students that were interested in
obtaining any of the materials to write a letter to the ‘Hercules Fan Club’ at the following
address: Hercules the Manatee, 100 Coconut Drive, San Pedro A.C., Belize C.A. The talk was
then closed by thanking the entire school for giving the opportunity to visit them. Dilci would then
provide the teachers with a package of the materials and a commentary with the head teachers
which was then picked on the same occasion.
The entire presentation normally ran for 45 minutes. The information given in the presentation
was consistent but varied in language depending on the age group being targeted. On a few
occasions the presentations were not possible to be given to the entire school due to timing and
schedule or space to accommodate the entire student body. All presentations were done in
English. A record table was kept of all schools visited and the students addressed as follows:
Table 10: Primary schools visited during the campaign.
Name of School
Date
Visited
LIFE School, San
Pedro
St. Francis Xavier
Chunox
R.C.
School
La
Inmaculada
R.C.S
Sarteneja
Nazarene
Copper Bank R.C.
S
Our Lady of the
Way
May 12th
Dilci Patt, Belize
Number of
students
in school
Number of
students
present
125
%
Comments
Presentation
May 19th
May 19th
574
251
554
245
97%
98%
2
2
May 20th
216
185
86%
1
May 20th
199
185
93%
1
May 20th
83
83
100%
1
May 21st
215
190
88%
2
41
St Paul Anglican
School
Corozal Methodist
School
Corozal Nazarene
St Paul’s Anglican
Chunox Adventist
School
Mary Hill
Christilline
Gill
SDA
Our
Lady
of
Lourdes
Our
Lady
of
Sorrows
St Isabella
Guadalupe R.C.
School
Our Lady of the
Way
Queen
Square
Anglican
St
Martin
de
Porres
James Garbutt
May 21st
159
40
25%
May 22nd
272
265
97%
2
May 22nd
May 27th
May 27th
165
159
52
148
104
50
90%
65%
96%
1
2
1
May 28th
May 28th
449
191
440
189
98%
99%
2
1
June 3rd
256
240
94%
1
June 4th
31
30
97%
1
June 4th
Jun e 5th
55
129
55
117
100%
91%
1
2
June 10th
600
600
100%
3
June 17th
798
767
96%
1
June 18th
600
589
98%
3
June 19th
325
257
79%
2
th
Grace Primary
Trinity Methodist
June 19
June 20th
600
180
578
50
96%
28%
St Ignatius
Sept 8th
1008
600
60%
St Johns Vianney
St John Anglican
St Mary’s
St Johns Anglican
Ebenezer Primary
Calvary Temple
Sept 16th
Sept 16th
Sept 17th
Sept 17th
Sept 17th
780
815
328
815
155
228
300
258
230
498
150
72
38%
32%
70%
61%
97%
32%
Central Christian
Sept 18th
Bethel
Ebenezer Primary
Infants
Queens St Baptist
Salvation Army
Belize Elementary
Humming
Bird
elementary
Muslim School
Sept 23rd
Sept 23rd
185
67
180
58
97%
87%
Sept 23rd
Sept 24th
Sept 24th
Sept 24th
65
150
78%
83%
200
51
125
500
120
Sept 25th
362
72
20%
Holy Redeemer
Sept 26th
Dilci Patt, Belize
58
400
Upper
students
only
2
1
1
Upper
division
only
Just upper
division
All school
All School
1
1
1
3
60%
Upper
division
only
1
1
42
Holy redeemer
Oct 1st
St Johns Vianney
Gales point
Sacred Heart
Epworth Methodist
Holy Ghost Upper
Division
Holy Family
St
Alphonsus
Seine Bight
St Johns memorial
Placencia
Independence
P.G. Methodist
Little Flowers
Christ the King
Punta Negra
Monkey River
Barranco
St Peters Claver
Zion Adventist
Oct 2nd
Oct 3rd
Oct 3rd
Oct 7th
Oct 7th
700
217
609
306
500
489
189
590
292
489
70%
87%
97%
95%
98%
1
1
1
Oct 8th
Oct 8th
289
280
97%
2
Oct 9th
192
182
95%
2
Oct 10th
Oct 14th
Oct 14th
Oct 15th
Oct 17th
Oct 17th
Oct 20th
Oct 20th
Oct 21st
703
221
98%
99%
280
12
57
50
943
240
690
218
289
217
7
57
48
500
220
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
Oct 21st
589
500
85%
Oct 24-31
Oct 24th
Oct 24th
Oct 25th
Oct 26th
Oct 29th
Oct 20th
Oct 21st
855
60
50
120
150
140
40
30
760
45
46
110
135
120
30
25
89%
75%
92%
92%
90%
86%
75%
83%
Nov 6th
Oct 22nd
Oct 30th
Nov. 21st
Nov. 25th
Nov 26th
Dec. 1st
Dec. 3rd
38
23
243
37
20
220
97%
87%
91%
140
220
115
200
82%
91%
115
110
96%
Holy Ghost infant
Division
San Pedro RCS
La Isla Bonita
Island Academy
New Horizon
Saint Peter’s Ele
LIFE
Preschool ABC
San
Pedro
Preschool
Little Angel’s
Maestro Reyes
Caye Caulker RC
Wesley Infants
Bernice Yorke
Stella Maris
Saint Joseph
Ephesus Seventh
Day Adventist
Wesley Middle
Total School
Children Visited
Dilci Patt, Belize
Number of
students
are
included in
the above
78%
58%
100%
96%
53%
92%
2
Upper
division
only
Dec. 8th
Approx.
17,500
43
Secondary School Visits
Dilcia Trejo and RARE’s Rafael Manzanero prepared a 26 slide lecture for the secondary schools
of the coastal communities. This slide presentation had the intention of making secondary
students aware of the manatee and the threats affecting the populations. It also emphasized the
laws and regulations protecting the species, protected areas of Belize exclusively created for
manatee conservation and ways in which they could be protected.
During the presentations Dilci Patt gave out the fact sheet which basically presented all the points
covered on the presentation and opened a Q and A section. Dilci would also use an ORID
exercise where necessary to encourage discussion. On the ORID section the students would
note that more protected areas, more patrols and enforcement are needed to help protect the
manatees. A few also supported the idea of the creation of youth environmental groups.
The schools visited were the following:
Table 11: Secondary schools visited during the campaign.
Date
Name of School
Sept 1st
Escuela
Mexico
Secundaria
150
September
Corozal
College
Community
100
October –
Nov
Nov.
17th Nov.
Nov.
25th/26th
Dec. 2nd
Dec. 3rd
Total:
# of
students
enrolled
# of students
attending
Excelsior High School
09
San
Pedro
High
School
Saint Peter’s College
Saint John’s College
Canaan Seventh Day
190
89
Approx. 90
Approx. 120
Friend’s Boys
Sadie Vernon
Approx.100
90
Dilci Patt, Belize
%
Comments
Had
presentation
in each form
consisting of
35
classes
each
and
covering
al
the
first
formers.
Addressed
only second
form students
Addressed
forth formers
but was a
small number
since
they
were
not
present
for
this day
938 approx.
44
Manatees Matter to Me Slideshow
Slides for the presentation was gratefully received from Mr. James Beveridge of Sea-ing is
Belizing and from GreenReef’s library. The text of the slideshow is rewritten below.
1. Globally, there are three species of manatees i.e. the Amazonian Manatee, the West
African Manatee and the West Indian Manatee.
2. The subspecies native to Belize is the West Indian Antillean manatee which has existed
for more than 60 million years.
3. The closest land relatives of the manatee are the elephant and the hyrax which
resembles a rodent.
4. Manatees are mammals which are warm blooded, have hair, breath air and feed their
young with milk.
5. Manatees have two front flippers which they use to put food into their mouth as well as
for movement. They also have a flat rounded tail which resembles a paddle.
6. Manatees are known to hold their breath underwater for up to 20 minutes when resting
but normally surface every 3-5 minutes to breath.
7. The Antillean Manatee is native to the Western Tropical Atlantic but primarily lives in
warm coastal waters of Belize, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, along the eastern coast
of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and the north eastern coast of Brazil.
8. Belizean waters are believed to provide a habitat for an estimated population of 300-700
manatees which is the largest population in Central America and the Caribbean.
9. Manatees live in warm, shallow, coastal waters, lagoons, near cayes, in estuaries and in
slow moving rivers and are more prominently found around Swallow Caye, Moho Caye,
Port-O-Stuck, Drowned Cayes, Hicks Caye, Bluefield Range, Rider Caye, Turneffe Atoll,
Southern and Northern Lagoon, Placencia Lagoon, Chetumal Bay, Port Honduras Area,
Indian Hill Lagoon, Deep River, Belize River, Monkey River, Rio Hondo and Mullins
River.
10. Manatees are gentle mammals that spend most of their time feeding and resting on the
bottom or on the surface of the water.
Dilci Patt, Belize
45
11. Manatees usually reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years but cannot successfully
reproduce until they are 5-8 years of age. They have one calf every 2 to 5 years.
12. Manatees have a gestation period of 13 months and when born the calf weighs about 60
pounds. They nurse their young for about two years.
13. Manatees are herbivores which primarily feed on water plants such as the water
hyacinth, algae, mangrove leaves and sea grass.
14. Manatees eat 10 to 15% of their body weight which is about 60 to 100 lbs of vegetation
daily.
15. There are three wildlife sanctuaries established for manatee protection in Belize under
the National Parks System Act which falls under the Forestry Department.
16. Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary and Swallow Caye
Wildlife Sanctuary are the areas which have been established as manatee protected
areas.
17. Manatees are endangered throughout its range and are internationally protected by
several conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species and the Convention on Biological Diversity
18. In Belize the Wildlife Protection Act of 1981 protects and safeguards the manatees by
prohibiting the killing, taking or molesting of manatees. A person who contravenes this
law is fined $500.00 on the first offence and $1000.00 and/or six months imprisonment
for a second offence.
19. In recent years, several NGO’s and coastal communities have rallied for the protection
of manatees in Belize and this has resulted in the declaration of three protected
manatee areas.
20. Aerial surveys conducted by Coastal Zone Management Institute have provided
information about manatee population densities, migration patterns and feeding areas.
21. Belize is one of the last manatee strongholds within Central America and the Caribbean
the reason for which the manatee should be protected.
22. With the protection of the manatee, there is a great opportunity for Belize to promote
nature tourism which brings economical benefits for the people in a sustainable manner.
23. One of the most important measures for protecting manatee populations would include
the slowing of boat speed in known manatee areas.
24. Protecting the mangrove and sea grass beds that offer food and shelter to manatees
and other organisms is another important conservation measure.
25. Abiding with the regulations such as avoiding close contact with the manatees,
protection of the habitat and signs posted in manatee protected areas.
26. Other more indirect ways that you can help manatees is by joining conservation groups
and passing on the information particularly to fishermen and tour operators.
27. Manatee have been living with us for 60 million years and yet we can ensure that they
continue to live with us but only if we help to keep it that way by following the rules and
regulations that have been set to follow. Manatees matter to all of us!!!!
Dilci Patt, Belize
46
Community Outreach
Community outreach programs made use of the audio, visual and printed materials. Meetings
were also conducted in the communities targeting fishermen, tour operators, and the public in
general. Presentations were made to the fishermen using a video tape running for 30 minutes
titled: “Tales of Belize: Mermaids of the Mangroves”. The video used on these presentations was
obtained from Carol Foster. A pledge for the support of slow speed zones was also passed
among the audiences after the presentations. Until November of 2003 Dilci reported that over 40
signatures had been obtained and that more were being received from Placencia.
Table 12: Communities visited during the campaign.
Date
28th May
31st of July
24th July
Community
Sarteneja
Copper Bank
Hopkins
13th July
15th July
Dangriga
Independence
11th July
Seine Bight
14th July
Mullins River
July
16th July
Monkey River
Punta Negra
Barranco
10th July
13th July
Punta Gorda
Gales Point
November
November
January 2004
January 2004
Total:
San Pedro
Belize City
Placencia
Monkey River
Venue
Pre-school
School
Community
Centre
Town Hall
Community
Centre
Community
Centre
Community
Yard
Alice Restaurant
Punta Negra
Community
Centre
Fishermen Coop
Cooperative
Building
# of Participants
10
45
25
Comments
15
35
27
50
68
35
48
03
20
15
10
Over 400
During and after the presentations the participants were provided with fact sheets, posters and
bumper stickers. Presentations then followed with a discussion of the tape presented by using an
ORID exercise. More specifically the format used in the presentation was as follows:
Adult Presentation Format
Introduction
• Name of person
• Name of organization
• Mission statement
• Explain reason for being there
• Explain presentation
Video Presentation focusing on manatees
At end of show ask if there are any questions or comments
Arrange them in discussion format
Dilci Patt, Belize
47
Objective: Finding Facts
1.
2.
3.
4.
Facts about manatees
facts about the actual situation
facts about natural history
Main themes and words
Reflective: Emotions about the facts and reflections
1. What did you understand about the presentation?
2. How do you feel about the narration given?
3. What came up to your mind while seeing the video?
Interpretive: Meaning and implications of the facts
1.
2.
3.
4.
Was the message relevant to you?
What is the significance of the message?
Do you see yourself as a part of this situation?
Do you know people who are part of this situation?
Decisional: Reaching towards an agreeable resolution leads to group action
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are you willing to do about the actual situation?
What can your group do to help?
What single action can you immediately do to alleviate the situation?
What would you recommend the proper authorities do to alleviate the present situation?
During the month of December house to house visits were made in several communities in order
to talk to individuals as well as to give out information about manatees. The objective was to
reinforce the conservation message left a few weeks ago. Dilci reported at the time that the
people’s responses were very favourable. Several adults explained that certainly sailing boats do
not harm the manatees instead they are concerned about the cruise ships which raise the
hazards of boat collisions with manatees.
Art and Essay Competition
The task of hosting an art competition was part of the visitation to
encourage students to send their entries to Green Reefs office with the
primary objective of promoting more awareness about manatees and its
natural history. Entries were welcomed from students of ages 8-14. Prizes
were to be awarded to winners of 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the over all
competition. A total of 111 entries were obtained from 7 schools that
included Saint Peter’s Claver in Punta Gorda, Belize Elementary School,
Holy Redeemer Primary school and the Muslim Community Primary
School in Belize City, Sarteneja R.C.S, St. Francis Xavier School and
Corozal Methodist School in Corozal, and San Pedro R.C.S, Little Flowers
Primary School in Forest Home Village. These entries were pre-selected
by GreenReef’s Peace Corp Volunteer, Kristen Stelljes; and Dilci Patt then
selected the winners with the help of San Pedro artists and community Figure 9: Art contest
members. The winning entries showed the manatee in its natural habitat entries.
and creativity used.
Dilci Patt, Belize
48
Overall winners of the competition were:
1st
2nd
3rd
Pedro Pop
Alexis Sanchez
Jackie Cheng
St Peters Claver
Belize Elementary School
Belize Elementary School
Colouring Booklet
A total of 700 colouring booklets were produced by Printech Unlimited. The original idea was
provided by Rafael Manzanero who worked along with the educator. Mrs Loyola Castillo, the
Culture Coordinator in Corozal Town reviewed the Creole language used in the text. The art work
for the colouring book was made by Bill Borella, an artist living in Armenia Village, Cayo District.
The colouring booklet is titled “Manatees, Matter to Me”, while ‘Norma’, the fairy mermaid
presents the story. Norma tells about the adventures of Hercules, the baby manatee that lives
along the coast of Belize. In the story, Hercules escapes from being harmed by a speeding boat
and after he escapes, he and his mother are able to save the lives of the two fishermen who are
being drifted by an approaching storm.
The storybook consists of 26 pages. The front cover illustrates the baby manatee, Hercules
looking at the horizon as a new day is starting on the coastal waters of Belize. On the inside front
cover page a description of the lead agency, GreenReef is presented; ‘Norma’ presents the story
on page three, and from pages 4 to 20 the story is developed. The story contains 8 coloured
pictures that accompanied the narration and another 5 illustrations found on the last pages for
children to colour.
The text of the colouring booklet was compiled on time; however, a short delay occurred in
receiving the illustrations from Mr. Borella. A longer delay occurred in the printing and in receiving
the materials in Belize. The Company Printech is based in the United States and thus it was
expected for them to produce several materials for the project so that one shipment be made.
Other delays occurred in the receipt of all the funds for the productions and this ultimately had
serious repercussions since the distribution in the target area could not reach in time. The first
draft of the colouring booklet was received in December. Feed back was then passed on to the
Printing Company and finally the materials arrived until March of 2004.
The distribution was as follows: San Pedro (100), Caye Caulker (50), Belize City (100), Sarteneja
(20), Corozal (100), Dangriga (100), Hopkins (50), Punta Negra (10), Monkey River (12), Gales
Point (50), Placencia (50), Independence (45), Seine Bight (25), Punta Gorda (70) and Barranco
(10).
Press Release
In order to reach out to a larger audience the primary messages of the educational campaign
were written and published through several news papers in the format of Press Releases. The
newspapers which published several of the manatee reports included: San Pedro Sun, Ambergris
Today, Amandala, Belize Times, Reporter, and the Guardian.
Getting to publish these free of cost proved to be not an easy endeavour. The island newspapers
such as San Pedro Sun and Ambergris Today kindly donated their space to cover some
materials, but the national newspapers had to be paid to publish the Press Releases. Three
Press Releases were developed by both Mito Paz and Rafael Manzanero with the titles:
1. Don’t Kill the Manatee, I beg you Please
2. Manatee Conservation Pays
Dilci Patt, Belize
49
3. Manatees and the Law
These Press Releases were developed in a manner so that the public could capture messages
that the project felt critical for them to learn. Thus the first Press release went as follows: “Similar
to the song, “Welcome to the Party”, a new song is now hitting the radio waves and this time it is
not talking about politics but instead it is asking for Belizeans to rally for the protection of
Manatees!
“Manatees, historically have been hunted for food and the bones used for jewellery. But today the
major threats to manatees are the boat propellers and fishing nets. And so the song which was
directed by Mr. Austin Waight and produced by Leroy Castillo “Big Boss” of Belize City reads the
following with a lively tune . . . “We must protect the manatees . . . Be good to them , nice to dem
. . . because just like we, dey have a family. If you live along the coast of Belize . .. slow down
your speed, I beg you please.”
The second Press Release stated in part the following, “Since this time, Dilci Patt who serves as
the conservation educator has been visiting schoolchildren and adults in the coastline
communities. Her message is very simple: The manatees’ main threats are speed boats and
fishing nets; manatees are protected by law and anyone found harming a manatee can be
charged up to $500.00; there are three manatee wildlife sanctuaries which includes Swallow
Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Gales Point manatee Wildlife
Sanctuary.”
The third one carried this important message: “The Wildlife Protection Act of 1981, specifies that
“No person shall hunt any species of wildlife set out in the Act” and this includes the Antillean
manatee. It continues by saying that “Any person who contravenes the Act or commits an offence
and found guilty will be liable to a fine not exceeding $500.00 or where the offender has within a
preceding period of five years been convicted of a wildlife offence or paid compensation, to a fine
nor exceeding $1,000.00 or imprisonment for a period of 6 months or both fine and
imprisonment.”
“With respect to the Manatee protected areas such as the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary in
Caye Caulker or Gales Point Manatee Sanctuary in Gales Point, the National Park Systems Act
states that “No person shall hunt, shoot, kill or take any wild animal or take or destroy any egg of
any bird or reptile or any nest of any bird in any wildlife sanctuary.” It continues by saying that
“Any person who contravenes the Act commits an offence and if found guilty be liable to a fine not
exceeding $200.00.”
Radio Spots
Newspapers were not the only media used for spreading information but the local and national
radio became an important tool for spreading the conservation message. Dilci Patt participated on
several radio programs to discuss about the project and the key messages. The radio stations
included Radio Bahia, Love Fm, Reef Radio, Power Mix, and Wamalali Radio. These radios as
well participated in airing the manatee popular and school song
Additionally, to reinforce the message and to further ensure that a wider audience could learn
about the conservation laws, natural history of the manatee and the protected areas, it was
decided that radio spots should be developed and aired prior to the post questionnaire survey.
The key target group for this activity would be the inhabitants of Belize City where the larger
concentration of the target population is located.
Ms. Virginia Vasquez of Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute thankfully volunteered
to prepare these spots and the recording was made at Radio Bahia.
Dilci Patt, Belize
50
Radio Spot #1:
Dear Radio Listener,
Did you know that manatees are mammals just like you and me? These gentle creatures were
historically, hunted for food and the bones used for jewellery. But since 1981, the Government of
Belize passed several laws protecting manatees on our coast. As a result the manatees now
enjoy a safe haven in Belize but your help is essential to keep it this way.
The Wildlife Protection Act of 1981, protects the manatees and this regulation states that any
person who kills, takes or molest by any method these creatures commits an offence and if found
guilty the person will be liable to a fine not exceeding $500.00.
Radio Spot #2:
Dear Radio Listener,
Belize is blessed with a rich and varied culture. These cultures survive in beautiful and
stupendous landscapes and in exuberant environments yet relatively intact. But this can change.
As a measure the country started designating protected areas since 1922. These protected areas
harbor species of animals and plants and help maintain natural cycles such as air, soil and water
important to our health.
Today one of Belize’s most unique mammals – the Manatee has three special designated
protected areas known as Wildlife Sanctuaries. These are: the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary,
Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary and the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Your respect of these
sites is essential to keep the manatees in Belize.
Radio Spot #3:
Dear Radio Listener,
Do you know which mammal in Belize can eat up to a100 pounds of food daily? If you answered,
MANATEE then you are completely right! Manatees are gentle mammals that spend most of their
time grazing on the water surface or on the bottom for up to 8 hours at a time.
These creatures are herbivores feeding exclusively on plants such as water hyacinth, algae,
mangrove leaves and sea grass. So next time you are driving a boat, look out for manatees as
they might just be feeding. Drive slow and help keep the manatees in Belize.
Legislation Handout
Legislation sheets are an important means for making the public aware of key pieces of
legislation and to instill knowledge about specific laws and regulations protecting ecosystems or
species. The idea here is to provoke concern. For the manatee project it was decided to create a
legislation handout and because the main threat to manatees come from speeding boats and
fishing nets then it was convenient to make boat operators and fishermen aware of the rules and
regulations that protect manatees in the coastal areas. To ensure that this type of information was
transferred to this audience, the handouts were laminated. It consisted of a two sided handout,
depicting key pieces of clauses from the Wildlife Protection Act, the Fisheries Act and the
National Park Systems Act. Before printing took place the handout was reviewed by the Coastal
Zone Management Authority and Institute, GreenReef, the Toledo Institute for Development and
the Environment, and the Forest Department. Permission was also obtained from these
institutions so that their contact number be placed on the handout in the event that a report be
made concerning illegal activities affecting the manatee populations.
Dilci Patt, Belize
51
Workshop
The Manatee Workshop was carried out on the 28th of January. It started at 9:35 a.m. and closed
at 1:16 p.m. People from various communities and speakers such as Nicole Auil, Angeline
Valentine and Dr. Buddy Powell of Wildlife Trust attended the workshop totalling 21 persons. At
the conclusion of the workshop people agreed that boat speed zones would help protect the
manatees, however they felt that more consultation should be carried out and that there should
be specific areas where these slow speed zones be declared.
In more detail the plenary resulted as follows:
PLENARY
The facilitator, Ms. Lisel Alamilla began the plenary discussions accepting concerns from the
floor. These were as follows:
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
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ƒ
ƒ
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How will these measures be enforced?
How do you establish protection zones [in Placentia]?
How do we establish manatee reserves?
A channel exempt “high speed corridor” is important for compliance in low speed areas.
Consider the establishment of exit and entrance areas and speed limits.
Create awareness about the importance or reporting boat-manatee collisions.
Need to address the impacts of nets.
There are continued concerns about poaching in Deep River area. What can be done? Can
GOB do something to prevent this?
Patrolling times should be reviewed.
Ensure that local guides’ moorings policies are enforced.
Establish signs that are of international standards.
Consider seasonal signage.
The facilitator then asked the workshop participants to work in teams of two. Each team created
the 8 most important steps that needed to be addressed to protect manatees from boats.
Thereafter, all the needs were grouped into categories, and each person then ranked the
categories from most to least important. This process led to the creation of five categories,
ranked as follows:
1. Identify areas for boat speed zones
a. Establish speed zones for different population levels
b. Map population areas of manatee habitat in the country
c. Learn the manatee migration and area use patters
d. Establish no wake zones from Belize to Cayo Negro; Haulover River to Hen and
Chicken Cays
2. Hold consultation meetings with stakeholders
a. Target large businesses with infrastructure in mangrove and seagrass beds
b. Target water taxi association, private boat owners and tour operators
c. Take idea to Mexico (BEMMAMCOR)
3. Standardization of signage
4. Enforcement and training
a. Identify organizations that will assist in the enforcement of speed zone regulation
b. Lobby for inclusion of no speed zones in the revision of the WPA
Dilci Patt, Belize
52
c.
d.
e.
f.
Implement financial penalties
Determine and manage the sizes and number of boats using manatee sites
Create wardens through training
Perform frequent patrols or establish observation points
5. Rehabilitation center (reporting of strandings)
6. Public awareness campaign on signage and zones
a. Publish regulations and penalties
b. WPA should be included in the education process and various parties involved
c. Increase community workshops on manatees in local vicinity
d. Make bilingual materials and have media campaign to explain zoning
e. Create a committee for countrywide manatee awareness
f. Use various media for information transfer
As a result of this workshop and after discussions held with Nicole Auil of the Coastal Zone
Management Authority and GreenReef’s Mito Paz it has been accorded that the above concerns
expressed should be presented to the Forest Department at the next National Manatee Working
Group meeting. It is anticipated that members of the Group will thereafter take on follow-up steps
to address the recommendations.
A-Z Booklet
An A to Z booklet titled “AnimalZ of the Reef” was produced and distributed until the end of the
campaign in March of 2004. This booklet consists of 58 pages and was printed by Printech
Unlimited. The cover has an illustration depicting the biodiversity of the reef, while the inside
cover has the credits of all the funding agencies participating on this campaign. The Table of
Contents on page 3 outlines 26 species starting from the American Crocodile to the Zoanthids.
The introduction of the booklet written by the President of GreenReef, Mr. Mito Paz, explains that
the purpose of the booklet is “to educate youth about marine life and encourage the students to
see the importance of protecting it.” GreenReef also expects that by learning about the animals;
their habitats, what they eat, and how they reproduce, children of all ages can gain understanding
and knowledge about the important creatures of the reef.
Each of the species is described with a full colour illustration on one page while the other has a
narrative description of the species, its habitat, feeding habits and breeding.
The illustrations were generously donated by several artists, namely, Eduardo “Papo” Alamilla,
Carol Boudreau, Carol Brown, Ginny Collins, Rose Escalante, Linda Kirk, Susan Lala, Will Lala
and Judy Sheinbaum. Research and revisions were made by Cliff Kirk, Jill Hepp, Ann Hayden,
Patrick Jordan, Dilci Patt and Rafael Manzanero.
A total of 500 A-Z booklets were produced and were distributed as follows: San Pedro (100),
Caye Caulker (20), Belize City (100), Sarteneja (10), Corozal (100), Dangriga (100), Hopkins
(20), Punta Negra (05), Monkey River (10), Gales Point (20), Placencia (20), Independence (25),
Seine Bight (15), Punta Gorda (80) and Barranco (05).
Dilci Patt, Belize
53
Calendars
Since the month of January of 2003, Mito Paz and Ginny Collins with the assistance of other
volunteers opened an invitation to all the Primary schools in San Pedro to participate on an art
contest. The activity was to draw a manatee on its natural environment and the goal was to
identify 13 of the best illustrations which would represent the cover of a calendar and each month
of the year 2004. With a total of approximately 90 illustrations received from 7 schools, the
campaign proved to be a great success. The cover art was produced by Emeritana Vasquez of
Island Academy. From the finalists 12 illustrations were selected.
Table 13: Finalists for the calendar illustration contest.
Name
Leslie Rodriguez
Ashylin Proehl
Justin
Walter
Hacksto
Braden Majernick
Meghan O’Connor
Scarleth Delgado
Chantel Castillo
Omar Arceo
Kristi Marin
Morgan Pickard
Quintin Olmstead
Cathy Soukup
Age
11
12
11
Standard
Std. IV
Std. VI
School
San Pedro RCS
Island Academy
Island Academy
Std. IV
Island Academy
Island Academy
LIFE
Island Academy
San Pedro RCS
LIFE
Island Academy
Island Academy
Island Academy
11
Std VI
Std. IV
10
Std. IV
11
Std. IV
Std. V
Inside the calendar appears each of the 12 selected illustrations accompanied with a Did you
Know phrase such as: “Did you know that manatees have existed for more than 60 million years
and are closely related to the elephant and the hydrax, a small rodent-like animal?” The next
page contains the calendar month.
A total of 500 calendars were produced and these were distributed as follows: San Pedro (70),
Caye Caulker (20), Belize City (70), Sarteneja (10), Corozal (70), Dangriga (70), Hopkins (20),
Punta Negra (02), Monkey River (08), Gales Point (20), Placencia (20), Independence (25), Seine
Bight (15), Punta Gorda (50) and Barranco (05).
Sermon Sheet
Throughout the Holy scriptures of all religious denominations reference is made to the earth’s
environment, the rational use of the fauna and flora and strong statements are offered for the
development of a conservation ethic. The church is, therefore, a powerful ally for a conservation
program.
During the campaign period Dilci Patt arrived at Rare’s office in San Jose Succotz and developed
the first draft of the sermon sheet with the intention of it being used by priests or other religious
leaders in the communities. Kristen Stelljes of GreenReef then took the text and designed it in a
more presentable manner. A total of 5,000 sheets were produced and distributed among the
schools primarily since the amount printed were more than enough. Printech generously provided
these free of cost. The distribution was as follows: San Pedro (1,000), Caye Caulker (200), Belize
City (1,000), Sarteneja (50), Corozal (200), Dangriga (1,000), Hopkins (50), Punta Negra (10),
Monkey River (200), Gales Point (50), Placencia (200), Independence (500), Seine Bight (50),
Punta Gorda (400) and Barranco (50).
Dilci Patt, Belize
54
The two page 7x11 inch paper comprises of a series of quotes and readings from the Bible, as
well as from an internet search which relates to the 1995 Windsor Statements. The Windsor
Statements notes that “Christianity recognizes the tension that exists between humanity’s
responsibility to care for God’s creation, and the tendency to rebel against God. The main
Christian churches have in the past decades re-examined their teachings and practice in the light
of environmental crisis.” It continues by saying that “the challenge to all Christians is to discover
anew the truth that God’s love and liberation is for all creation, not just humanity, and to seek new
ways of living that restore balance and hope of life to the endangered planet.”
Some of the quotations used include:
“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”
Genesis 2:15
“Saying not hurt the earth neither the sea nor the trees.” Revelations 7:3
“…And thou shalt not cut them down [for the tree of the field is man’s life] to employ them in
siege.” Deuteronomy 20:19
Environmental News Sheets
The environmental newsheet titled Reef Rap was prepared during the month of October as a four
page informational handout with the objective of providing additional information about
GreenReef and the issues taking place for the protection of the coastal areas. The target
audience for these were the primary schools as well as secondary schools. Volume 1, Issue 1
contained information about GreenReef Projects, Natural History of the Manatee, Manatee
Conservation and Activities.
The black and white newsletter was produced by Printech and a total of 5,000 were distributed as
follows: San Pedro (1,000), Caye Caulker (200), Belize City (1,000), Sarteneja (50), Corozal
(200), Dangriga (1,000), Hopkins (50), Punta Negra (10), Monkey River (200), Gales Point (50),
Placencia (200), Independence (500), Seine Bight (50), Punta Gorda (400) and Barranco (50).
Once again these were produced in bulk by Printech who generously provided most of them free
of cost.
Reef Rap described the Manatee project noting that it was hoped that the Government start to
regulate how fast boats travel so manatees would be safer. It also described GreenReef as a
non-profit conservation and education organization exclusively dedicated to the protection of its
Barrier Reef and surrounding marine environment. On the second page, a description was given
of the Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve co-management being sought by
GreenReef as well as the Nassau Grouper conservation project being carried out. A general
description of the manatee is presented in page 3 and on the last page two activities are
presented for children. It is expected that a future issue will cover topics such as Learn about a
New Marine Animal, Hear more about the Manatee Project and Do more fun Activities!
Billboard
Sign boards are a very attractive way in informing people of environmental matters. As described
on RARE’s manual, sign boards attract the sight of drivers and travelling people so long as these
are set on strategic locations. In the case of the manatee project, signboards were requested
from Mr. Norman Smith in order for him to develop in accordance with park signage regulations,
several billboard that would be used in the three manatee protected areas. The sign boards
Dilci Patt, Belize
55
would have contained the following message: “Welcome to Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary” and a
map of the area.
Figure 10: Community billboard.
Unfortunately, the entire number of signs requested was never
terminated by Mr. Smith, since as he described to Rare’s Rafael
Manzanero, he had other more urgent jobs to do and he could
not finalize these before the termination period of the project.
Repeatedly, Mr. Mito Paz requested for the products since Mr.
Smith had been given ample time to have these ready and
erected, but even after extending the waiting period of over 6
months these were never placed in the three protected areas as
agreed. Mr. Paz reports that only one billboard was placed at
Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary.
Popular Song
To attract a larger audience and to carry the conservation message out into the wider community,
local musicians were called to investigate if they could write and prepare a popular song for the
manatee campaign. The guide for the lyrics was prepared by Dilci Patt and Rafael and submitted
to the artist via e-mail on the 24th of June.
Austin Waight, a member of the Belize City Council and musician helped in the production of the
song. Waight and his team finalized the lyrics of the manatee song with the aid of the fact sheet
notes and other information provided. Production started during the month of June and was
completed on the 11th day of September 2003. The recording was made at Ludwig Productions in
Belize City and the total cost was Bz$1,500.00.
This brukdown style of music is titled, “We should protect the Manatee.” This was sung in English
by the Big Boss “Leroy Castillo and Band”. The song has a very catchy tune and quite lively to
dance on a dance hall. This was aired in different radio stations and schools throughout the latter
months of the campaign.
Dilci Patt, Belize
56
The Results
Introduction
The questionnaire survey was carried out in the nineteen different target communities along the
coast of Belize. A total of 548 questionnaires were considered favourable enough to be used in
the preparation of the survey results. It was advised that 1% of the target population which was a
total of 876 surveys be carried out. However, due to situations beyond GreenReef’s control only
548 surveys were filled out completely and favourably. The 548 questionnaire forms that were
completed represent 0.63% of the 1% sample population which was intended.
Data Collection Process
Post questionnaire sheets were developed at Green Reefs office during the second week of
February. 1,000 copies of the survey were made at the Medical University of the Americas and
another 800 at Angelus Press. The latter amount was copied as the second page to the first one
since the educator Dilci had missed important questions that had not been incorporated on her
original design. Questionnaire sheets were distributed to groups and volunteers from Junior
colleges and High school students. Rafael Manzanero referred the guidelines to Dilci in order for
the enumerators to understand clearly how to conduct the surveys. The following are the
guidelines provided:
MANATEE CONSERVATION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Instructions to enumerators conducting the survey:
•
Approach every tenth person you see in your target area, except children under the age
of 10. Social gatherings, shops, farms, sporting events, churches, and other businesses
are good setting to find people to interview.
•
On approaching the person you should politely introduce yourself using the following
standard script:
HELLO, I’M (YOUR NAME) WITH GREEN REEF ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE. WE
ARE CONDUCTING A SURVEY OF BELIZE’S MANATEES TO DETERMINE THE
PUBLIC’S KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS ON THESE MAMMALS THEIR
HABITATS. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE YOUR NAME AND THE SURVEY WILL
TAKE ONLY A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME.
•
If the selected individual refuses or does not want to assist, you should thank the person
and approach the NEXT available person, asking the introductory question again. In
other words, you do not need to count off ten people repeatedly until an interview
participant is found. The tenth person is taken only after a respondent has been recruited
for the survey.
•
Having identified a respondent who is willing to assist, you can begin your survey. This
questionnaire is designed to be interviewer-administered. As much as you can, you
MUST NOT hand the questionnaire to the interviewee. Rather, you should READ OUT
each question and fill in any response given. You must speak clearly and slowly, allowing
time for the response. Before beginning the survey you should repeat that the survey is
anonymous and confidential. The respondent’s name will not appear on the form and
they should be as open as possible.
Dilci Patt, Belize
57
•
After the last question has been answered, recheck the questionnaire to make sure that
all questions have been answered. NEVER PAY RESPONDENTS FOR
PARTICIPATING IN YOUR SURVEY.
•
You should not prompt answers to questions, and under no circumstances should you
answer a question for the person being interviewed. AFTER asking all questions, and
AFTER writing down the respondent’s replies, you should inform the respondent of the
correct answers to the particular questions.
548 questionnaires were entered in the database at Rare’s office in the Cayo District.
Unfortunately, Dilci Patt was unable to finalize this task and therefore Rafael Manzanero assisted
GreenReef in entering and analysing the data. Finalizing this task was ardous since the
questionnaires arrived very late and this only occurred after a continuous and persistent request
made by Greenreef to the educator. And yet when these arrived, it is assumed that not all of the
surveys were handed and recovered for entry. A handful of persons dedicated themselves to
seek these questionnaires – Mito Paz, Kristen Stelljes, Virginia Vasquez and Rafael Manzanero.
Summary of Post Project Survey Results
The following is an analysis of the post questionnaire surveys conducted during the month of
March.
Dilci Patt, Belize
58
As expected the largest amount of interviews was conducted in the Belize City area. There are
people who participated from San Ignacio and Belmopan but this might have occurred because
some of the people interviewed are originally from out districts but are working in Belize City. A
point of concern is that only a very few came from Corozal and Stann Creek which indicates that
a better cross section could and should have been interviewed. This can have serious
implications for analysing the post results versus the pre surveys since the data entries are fewer
than the previous survey.
_____________________
Dilci Patt, Belize
59
Interestingly almost half of both males (46%) and females (54%) were interviewed. In the presurvey 54.7% were females while 45.3% were males.
_________________________________________
A great part of those interviewed were students (56.4%). Last year the students covered 55.8%,
and less fishermen were interviewed in the post survey. Interviewing fishermen was important as
even in the pre-survey of last year it was felt that more needed to have been interviewed.
_________________________________
Dilci Patt, Belize
60
Interestingly, Love FM was selected by less people on this post survey (from 42.8% to 32.5%)
while Krem Radio increased from 6.8% to 24.3%. Radio Krem was used more often in the city to
transmit the manatee message since it tailors more for the rural areas of Belize City and is
cheaper to transmit public messages.
_____________________________________
Like last year most of those interviewed would vote for “No special time to listen to the radio”.
_______________________________
Dilci Patt, Belize
61
Apart from “Others”, the Souls music was the second most selected by those interviewed. Last
year “Souls” was included in the “others” section and was a very small proportion of the total.
____________________________
Like last year Amandala still remains as the most favorite newspaper. After reviewing data of
some ten years ago, this newspaper still remains dominant. Unfortunately, it is a difficult
newspaper to produce public advertisements as it is highly expensive to send a notice and even
with payment the chances of it being produced are not that high unless one is persistent.
__________________________
Dilci Patt, Belize
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Of those interviewed 93.45 said that they had heard of the manatee while last year a slightly
higher number (95.6%) said so. The high level of awareness about manatees may be due to the
long and high level of publicity that Coastal Zone Management and Institute has given to this
species over many years.
_____________________________
Last year 20.2% of those interviewed stated that manatees are mammals that live in the water,
while 17.5% said manatees are mammals. In the post survey 20% said that they are aquatic (or
sea) mammals and 32% said mammals. This marks an increase of 14.5%.
___________________________
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In the pre-survey 68.3% of those interviewed thought that manatees live in shallow coastal waters
compared to 45.4%, 31.4% said rivers in the pre-survey and in the post-survey 17.3% said so.
The answer that increased considerably was “water” with 29.4% whereas this option was not
given last year.
________________________
72% of those interviewed stated that manatees eat water plants in the post-survey while in the
pre-survey 68% stated the same answer. 17% did not know in the pre-survey while 15% stated
so in the post-survey.
______________________
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In the pre-survey conducted last year 36.3% of those interviewed did not know if there were
reserves set aside for manatees, while only 18.7% said there were reserves for these creatures.
In the post-survey 71.5% said “yes” while only 20.4% didn’t know and 7.7% said “no”. This
reflects a considerably increase of (52%) knowledge about manatee protected areas.
_______________________
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In both the pre and post survey the people (43%) interviewed noted that boating accidents were
the main threat to manatees. In the pre-survey 12.6% of those interviewed didn’t know while in
the post survey 5.8% didn’t know.
____________________
In the post- survey 77% of those interviewed knew that manatees are threatened by humans and
may disappear while in the pre-survey 81.5% knew this. The reduction in knowledge may be due
to some important areas that may have not been covered with surveys such as Dangriga and
Corozal compared to the bigger data set obtained from these areas in the pre-survey.
__________________________
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In the pre-survey 30.8% of those interviewed stated correctly that the fine is $500.00 or more
while in the post-survey 34.6% said so. 63.3% did not know while in the post-survey 60% still did
not know. Certainly the message needed to have been more far reaching.
__________________
Like last year 66% think that the fine should be $500.00. Last year 25% did not know what to say
and this year 21% noted the same answer.
_____________________
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Last year 78.5% stated that they would not hunt manatees while this post survey shows 77%
stating the same. This is a close margin and once again shows that there was a need to have
strengthened the conservation message among the target population.
________________________
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Interestingly, like last year some 42% to 45% of those interviewed in both the pre and post survey
believe and trust that the marine/fisheries officers are the best to give the most true and accurate
information about the environment of Belize. “Teachers” scored 3.7% last year while in this post
survey it remained at 3%.
__________________________
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A decrease from 72% in the pre-survey to 64% (in the post survey) was responded by those who
believe that people working to protect Belize are doing an important job.
_______________________
Like in the pre-survey the larger number of those interviewed (in pre-survey 35.7% and 32% in
post survey) thought that those protecting the resources are respectful of the communities
concerns. 4.67% said not at all in the pre-survey while 3.6% noted the same in the post survey.
________________________
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In the post- survey 66% of those interviewed said that they would donate a day to an
environmental activity while last year 70% said so. The same amount of those interviewed - 13%
said “no’ in the pre and post survey.
_________________________
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SMART Objective Results
In this analysis a special focus is being made on the questions that have more relevance with the
SMART objectives:
Objective 1: By December 2003, 93% of school children and youths
from the 18 communities including Belize City will know of the natural
history (habitat, breeding, feeding habits) and characteristics of the
manatees.
In the table above we can observe that 100% of the children (9 or under) and 95% of children and
youth (ages 10 to 19) of those interviewed correctly answered that manatees live in shallow
coastal waters, water or in rivers. Objective met.
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In question 19, a 100% of children (9 or under) interviewed and 75% of those between the ages
of 10 to 19 (children and youth) questioned, responded correctly that manatees mainly eat water
plants. Objective met in part but needed more work with youth.
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Objective 2: By December 2003, 78% (at present 63.3%) of the
people in these communities will know the laws and regulations that
protect the manatee (from illegal hunting) as an endangered species.
In this pre-questionnaire survey it shows that a majority of the people 63.3% who were surveyed
did not know what was the fine for the illegal hunting of the manatee. 30.8% knew that the fine for
the illegal hunting of the manatee was $500.00 or more.
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In this post-questionnaire survey it shows that 60.2% of those interviewed did not know what was
the fine for the illegal hunting of manatees. 34.6% knew that the fine for the illegal hunting of the
manatee was $500.00 or more. The objective was not introduced clearly at the beginning of the
project since it should have been worded in a manner that the knowledge base on the fine be
increased by a “considerable” percentage. Nevertheless, looking at this analysis it can be
concluded that the campaign should have had more impact on the knowledge of the laws that
protect manatees. The results show an increase of knowledge of approximately 4%.
Objective 3: By December 2003 a speed limit regulation that protects
manatees from speeding boats will be devised and come into effect.
This will be achieved through lobbying with various organizations and
agencies as well as with the increasing support from the general
public.
This objective was partly addressed with the conduction of the workshop; however, as described
in this report, the attendees at the forum felt that more consultations need to be pursued. The
Manatee Working Group is considered to be the most adequate body that can pursue the passing
of such a regulation. The Forest Department, which heads this Group feels confident that the
regulation can be passed. GreenReef and Coastal Zone Management are still committed to
continuing this process channelling the effort through the Manatee Working Group. Presently, the
Wildlife Protection Act is still under revision and once this comes into effect the effort should be
continued as a team.
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Objective 4: By the end of next year, 55% of the people, including
fishermen and law enforcement officers in the 18 different target
communities and Belize City along the coast of Belize will know the
protected areas and their names as well as the regulations that
govern these protected areas.
From this post survey it can be noted that 71.5% of those interviewed know that there are
reserves set up for the protection of the manatee. 7.7% answered “no” while 20.4% of those
interviewed did not know. Compared to last year’s pre-survey 36.3% responded they did not
know there were any reserves set for manatees. 24.7% thought there were absolutely no
reserves set for manatees and 18.7% responded “yes”. Objective met in part. Folks interviewed,
however, still have a difficulty pin pointing manatee reserves located along the coastline.
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Lessons Learned
Green Reef
As with any project, Increasing Manatee Conservation Awareness in Belizean Coastal
Communities was faced with challenges. These challenges provided us with lessons learned.
One of the most important lessons was the need for effective logistics management. With a
national campaign of this magnitude, there are an infinite number of details that need to be
worked out and this can be very difficult for a person to manage, who is constantly moving from
community to community. This issue was addressed by close communication between the
educator, Green Reef, and RARE. It was also further addressed by the hiring of a technical
assistant to assist the educator with logistics, including the workshop on boat speed limit zones
and finance reporting.
Hand in hand with effective logistics management, we learned about the need for effective
communication. This proved difficult with many people working on the project that lived
throughout Belize and were travelling within Belize and internationally. The educator was
provided with a cell phone in order to keep in contact with Green Reef and RARE while travelling.
Internet access was also a difficulty, but the majority of communities had Internet cafes that the
educator could use. Communication challenges were increased when the project van was
broken into and the educator’s cell phone and laptop were stolen. This led to a major setback,
but the educator acquired another phone and recreated what documents she could from what
was lost. Communication between the funders and Green Reef was also difficult and these
difficulties should have been addressed earlier on.
The need for reliable transportation and the ability to quickly repair any damage that occurs to the
project vehicle was also a lesson learned. The educator damaged one vehicle in an accident
beyond repair and the second vehicle also needed major repairs. It took a very long time to
repair the second vehicle, causing the educator to travel by bus. This greatly increased the
amount of time it took to move between communities and made it difficult to travel within the
communities in an efficient manner. This was addressed by the chartering of a taxi for one week
to take the educator to areas that were not accessible by bus.
Another lesson learned was the need for continuity of the staff, especially the educator. As the
first educator left the project and roles were added and changed in the project, it took time to
acquaint each person with the project. It also was difficult to continue at the same pace, because
the educator who finished the project did not have the training from the University of Kent which
the first educator had access to.
Rare
Obviously one of the damaging factors that contributed to the various limitations and challenges
found throughout the year had to do with the original conservation educator leaving the post
immediately after the project work plan had been devised. To prevent another situation like this
there are two points that need to be addressed. The first is to conduct more rigorously the
interviewing and selection process. Rare now ensures that the student is interviewed thoroughly.
The second point is to ensure that the lead agency develops a letter of understanding between
the student, particularly in the case where the student has not been working with the institution
and is becoming a new staff member. The LOU must hold the student responsible for fulfilling the
studying and implementation phases of the program.
The results of the campaign prove that the student must focus on the SMART goals and have all
the materials printed and distributed before hand. Certainly the results of the campaign could
Dilci Patt, Belize
77
have been increased and achieved larger impacts. The number of tasks accomplished increases
the possibilities of people learning and absorbing the key messages. On this point there are three
considerations. The first is that the lead agency must work closely with the educator in order to
ensure that the student is relating to the work plan effectively and mentor the person as much as
possible. The second point is that identifying a publishing company that can do a variety of the
materials indeed is excellent for the program in that the student does not have to seek different
services from various sources. For GreenReef, Printech did not only provide all the services but
also donated a considerably large amount of materials such as coloring booklets, calendars and
A-Z booklets. The funding for these materials was very low and if the children today can
appreciate the wonderful products of the project, it has been largely because of Printech.
GreenReef’s President, Mito Paz has a close working relationship with Printech and this helped
tremendously. The third point refers to funding. It is critically important for the sum of money for
all materials to be there on time and perhaps even in advance time at the beginning of the
program implementation phase. In the case of GreenReef having this funding available would
have relieved the backlog on products.
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Recommendations
Green Reef
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There should be a more rigorous hiring process to ensure that the educator will remain
committed throughout the project, will be responsible and professional throughout all
aspects of the project, and is fully aware of the commitment he/she is making when
agreeing to be the educator.
Issues between the grant agency and the organizations working on the project should be
addressed at the beginning and the roles of each stakeholder should be clearly defined.
Stakeholders need to be involved in the creation of the budgets and there needs to be an
adequate amount of funds set aside for the printed materials. The budget also should not
be specifically itemized.
If there is funding available or options such as a Peace Corps volunteer, it would be good
to have a pair traveling together for safety.
Rules about using vehicle and managing the schedule to involve the least amount of long
distance driving would be beneficial.
The technical advisor needs to meet more with the educator throughout the project.
It would be beneficial to store all of the project materials in a neutral location, and not in
someone’s home.
Educator should be trained in and given professional publishing software in order to
create the publications and have them in a format that the printer can open and work
with.
Rare
•
•
•
While there is data obtained on the pre and post survey it is important to note that the
amount entered for analysis is less than 1% and therefore we should take caution in
interpreting and understanding the results derived. In an ideal situation the amount of
surveys conducted should have been no less than 1%. The data interpreted on this
document, therefore, should certainly provide us with a basis for understanding the
results and the impacts obtained but must be seen as mere approximations of a reality.
There are gaps in some important areas that were not surveyed and this could have
significantly added more value to the analysis.
The Pride campaign is more a social marketing program and, therefore, the more
activities undertaken successfully, the more impact they will have. Rare does not focus
on how much activities were created but on the effectiveness these reached on the
audience. In other word it is not good to produce a poster but to have these reach to the
people they were intended for and by extension that these have the right message so
that the impact be made. Institutions must, therefore, be more focused in identifying the
right activity, do them and ensure it reached the right target audience in an efficient
manner in order for it to have an impact.
Follow up discussions must be pursued with the manatee working team as there is
sufficient interest in passing the legislations proposed in Objective three. GreenReef
should be invited to join this team so as to ensure that their interest on manatee
conservation is sustained beyond this project timeframe.
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References
Auil, Nicole. (1998). Sustainable development and management of biologically diverse coastal
resources. Belize manatee recovery plan.
Campbell, S., Gibson, J., Holder, M., Leslie, R., Rempel, B., & Panton, F., et. al. (Eds.). (1997).
A geography of Belize: the land and its people. Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize:
Cubola.
Government of Belize. Central Statistical Office Ministry of Finance. (2000). Belize national
population and housing census. (2000).
McRae, Ellen and Kimo Jolly. (1998). The geography of Belize: our life support system. Benque
Viejo del Carmen, Belize: Cubola.
Sadusky, Nancy & Patti Thompson. (1996). Manatees, an educator’s guide. Belize: Save the
Manatee Club. (5th edition)
Websites Accessed, 2004:
www.belize.com
www.belizenet.com
www.belizeweb.com
www.coastalzone.org
www.sanpedrosun.com
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Acknowledgements
A project of this magnitude could have never been possible without the help of so many
individuals and institutions who through their work and skills proved their love and care for
manatees and in keeping the beauty of our country alive and vibrant.
To the donors who funded the project, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, UNDP/GEF Small
Grants Programme, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and RARE whose finance helped
run and make this program a reality, our sincere gratitude.
To the Board of Directors of GreenReef that supported the program even with all the various
obstacles faced. Their consistency of pursuing the project to its end is merited.
A sincere thanks to the volunteers of Corozal Community College and Mr. Graham Sampson of
Corozal, the staff of the Belize Audubon Society and Mr. Dirk Francisco, the staff at TIDE and Ms.
Lynette Middleton, Friends of Gra Gra Lagoon, Lenney Gentle and Ginger Graham of Friends for
Conservation and Development, the Dangriga Outdoor Adventure Club, Friends of Nature and
TASTE staff for helping in the application of the pre and post surveys.
We are grateful to Terry Wright for the wonderful illustration that she created and which is now a
famous picture of manatees appearing in posters, badges, bumper stickers, t-shirts and other art
work. Other artists that helped tremendously in other tasks such as the A-Z booklet, Coloring
booklet and the puppet theatre including Eduardo “Papo” Alamilla, Carol Boudreau, Carol Brown,
Ginny Collins, Rose Escalante, Linda Kirk, Susan Lala, Will Lala, Judy Sheinbaum and Bill
Borella. Revisions were made by Cliff Kirk, Jill Hepp, Ann Hayden and Patrick Jordan.
And who would forget Mr. Dennis Wolfe with his beautiful school song? His song encouraged
other students from Corozal Community College to develop another school song. Mr. Austin
Waight and Big Boss “Leroy Castillo and Band ” composed and played the popular song. To
everyone a warm thanks.
To Banquita’s House of Culture and Mrs. Loyola Castillo we are grateful for the revisions made to
the coloring book text. As well Mrs. Castillo and students from Corozal Community College
assisted in the recording of the puppet show.
To Mrs Maarga Waals of Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary we are thankful for the design and
construction of the costume and hand puppets. Carmelita Cajun helped with two puppets and Ms.
Lydia Patt did the theatre curtains. The Peace Corp Volunteers of 2003 assisted in the first design
of a puppet script. As well we are indebted to Gisbert, Javier Herrera, Carlos Galindo, Ksisten
Stelljes, and other students that volunteered as Hercules, the manatee.
To various institutions and in particular the staff of the Coastal Zone Management Authority and
Institute, the Forest Department, Port Authority, the Fisheries Department, Lionel Heredia and
Ann Heredia of Friends of Swallow Caye, Evaristo Verde of Amigos de la Bahia, Lincoln
McSweaney of the Gales Point Wildlife Sanctuary – to them we are extremely grateful for their
support provided to the campaign from the very beginning and throughout the project life.
To Carol Foster we are thankful for the video provided; and to Dorothy and James Beveridge for
the slides used throughout the high school presentations. As well we are grateful to the radio
stations that helped air various messages. These radios included Radio Bahia with whom we are
indebted due to their many hours of free announcements, Reef Radio, Love FM, Krem FM, Power
Mix and Wamalali Radio. To Virginia Vasquez for reading the radio announcements which we
certainly believe made a difference and for all the newspaper that in any way helped to spread
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the message across a broader target audience – San Pedro Sun, Ambergris Today, Amandala,
the Belize Times, Reporter and The Guardian.
To Ms. Nicole Auil and Angeline Valentine of the CZMA&I, Marcelo Windsor of the Conservation
Division, Lisel Alamilla and Dr ‘Buddy’ Powell of the Wildlife Trust as well as all the other
stakeholders that participated in the workshop to discuss future regulations for manatee
protection; to them we are thankful in supporting such a regulation.
To Jeff and Vivian of Printech - GreenReef and Rare are extremely grateful for your full support
you gave to the project at a time when funding was not available to provide for more materials.
Your gift has been provided to the many children and inhabitants along the coastal communities
of Belize.
To the Medical University of the Americas, a warm thank you too for your support and patience
provided throughout the year.
To Kristen Stelljes, Peace Corp Volunter at GreenReef we are also grateful for all the assistance
provided in times of urgency and in conducting an efficient logistical support.
To the President of GreenReef, Mito Paz it has been a rich experience working with GreenReef.
Thanks for sharing your vision, friendship and interest in maintaining a watchful eye over the
coastal resources. The work is not easy but your positive attitude will overcome the challenges.
All the best.
Finally, to the Ministry of Education for the permission granted, as well as all the community
leaders, Principals and teachers that allowed the Program to enter their communities and their
schools. To the children and youth, we are indebted for all the good times and passion
demonstrated. Your smiles and happiness made the day!!!
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Appendix 1
Puppet Show Script
“A Day in the Life of Hercules”
Narrator: Hercules the manatee was a young manatee who lived with his mother. He was very
curious about the organisms in the sea and he was even more curious about what occurred
beyond the vast blue sea. He was always astonished of the beauty of Belize’s Great Barrier Reef
and felt so proud of sharing the coast with so many other creatures of the sea. His mother always
warned him to be careful about people. One day, as the early tropical sun welcomed the break of
another day he was with his mother Misty near Gales Point in the Southern Lagoon, and she was
explaining to him about the sea and the wonderful things in nature.
Hercules:
Mama, what a beautiful day. Look how the sun is shining over the Great Barrier
Reef. I can see Perla the Pelican catching an early breakfast . . . And see those flying animals!!!
Misty: Yes, those are the bottle-nosed dolphins. They are the acrobats of the sea. I can also the
people preparing their boats. They’re nice people, but we should stay away from humans.
Hercules:
Why mommy? The people seem so friendly.
Misty: People can be friendly, but some people drive their speedboats too fast and we can’t
always get out of the way in time. Remember Uncle Mito? How he was hit by a boat. Oh!! He
was such an angel of a manatee!!! Those humans are always in such a hurry.
Hercules:
Those fishermen over there look like they wouldn’t hurt us. They seem to be getting
ready for a catch just like Perla, the Pelican!!!!
(cut to fisherman)
Narrator: Sammy and Miguel, local fisherman, had set out early that morning to catch some Red
Grouper and Jewfish.
Sammy: We sure ketch lot of fish yesterday. . .
Miguel: Yes, it was good day buay. Now we can take a break true buay? What is that ting’ playing
inna deh water?
It kinda looks like a big fish!
Sammy: No buay. Dah a manatee. It’s not a fish at all! It’s a mammal like us.
Miguel: Wat’s de difference?
Sammy: Yu no see buay dat even though they look like a fish, manatees are warm-blooded lik yu
and me; feed their young with milk, breathe air, and have hair just like we too. They have a long
flattened tail, dat resembles a paddle. That’s why my grandpa dat lived ina Belize City used to call
them mermaids.
Miguel: Dem sure are big.
Sammy: Dem manatees can weigh 1200 pounds, imagine buay about 8 to 10 human beings put
together, and they can grow as long as 13 feet. They can live as long as 60 years.
Miguel: But dem I don’t think eat rice and beans. . .
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Sammy: Of course not, dem animals eat mainly sea grasses buay!!!
Miguel: Cool! Let’s go check them out! My auntie Hortence me used to say that dem look like a
big mashmellow but are slow. I bet we could touch dem.
Sammy: Be careful though buay, cause if you hurt them yu can end up in a jail.
Miguel: How yu know that buay? Yu da police or forestry?
Sammy: No buay me me hear Richard pan de radio me say so de las time. He me se that you
can be charged up to $500.00 if yu bother dem manatees or end up in a prison for six months.
Miguel: Buay yu can be magistrate yu know!!! I will be careful man. After all no one can see us
here too. I no see no police or forestry man round.
Narrator: Meanwhile, Misty and Hercules are swimming along, oblivious to the approaching
danger.
Misty: Look, look there’s a hermit crab! You hardly ever get to see one of those.
Hercules: Wow! I’m going to go see it closely! (Hercules swims to the other side)
Narrator: Austin and Matt speed over to see the manatees just as Hercules sets out on his
adventure to see the hermit crab. Misty sees the boat just in time and dives under water to avoid
being hit. When she resurfaces, Hercules is nowhere in sight.
Misty: Hercules! Hercules! Where are you? I’ve lost my baby! He was only a year old. I still had
another year to spend with him. He hadn’t yet learned the ways of the world. He was in my belly
for 13 months, and now he’s gone! (deep sigh) Hercules.
Miguel: Whoa! I think we hit it buay. I thought they could move faster than that.
Sammy: But I me tell yu buay to be careful. Yu wan put me ina trouble hear. Yu never listen man.
Narrator: Misty is very upset and still unable to locate Hercules.
Misty: There are so few of us left and we only make our homes in the warm coastal waters of
Belize and the rest of Central America. And here in Belize, there are only 300-700 Manatees.
Even though there is one manatee for every 500 Belizeans, our population is dwindling because
of the hazards of fishing nets, speed boats, and illegal hunting.
Oh! What will I do without my baby Hercules? He was just a fond, nice baby!!! Oh, Hercules!!!
Hercules: Mom, the hermit crab was so cool!
Misty: Hercules! You’re OK! I thought the boat hit you! Turn around Hercules let me see you that
you are intact. By the tail of my mother, I thought you had been hit Hercules.
Hercules: I didn’t even see it. I’m just fine, Mom.
Misty: You need to be very careful when speed boats are around. That is the most danger of
them all. If I were just to show you how many of us have been harmed by these machined you
would not believe it!! It is disgusting. Be careful Hercules.
Now look, there’s a storm approaching.
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Narrator: The storm clouds gathered over the horizon and lightning started to hit the waves
beyond. Miguel and Sammy manoeuvred their boat along the angry waves. The barrier reef
roared as the high waves banged on the many polyps and rocks of the reef.
Sammy: We in a trouble yu know!!!
Narrator: Sammy looks to the heavens and realizes that a storm is fast approaching.
Oh no. Dat storm looks menacing. I don’t think we can mek it on time to shore.
Miguel: (screams) What we goin do buay?!
Hercules: Mom, the storm is fast approaching. That must be a hurricane. It looks terrible. Oh my!!
What will be of those men on the boat?
Misty: We need to get back to our homes in the calm and safe waters by the mangroves. If they
are smart they will follow us up there too. Just don’t get too close.
Hercules: Are the mangroves a safe place for humans too?
Misty: Yes, they sure are. They offer great protection from the winds and the waves caused by
storms.
Narrator: Hercules and Misty cautiously swam over to the boat, and frolicked by the boat to get
the fishermen’s attention.
Sammy: Look! Are they trying to tell us something?
Miguel: Why dem deh playin the storm?
Samuel: I think dem deh try tell us to follow them.
Narrator: Sammy and Miguel follow the manatees to the safety of the mangroves where they
weather the storm together. After the storm passes, Sammy and Miguel head home reflecting on
the day’s events.
Sammy: Me was really afraid during the storm. Almost pissed myself ina my pants buay!! If dem
manatees hadn’t led us to shelter, who knows what would have happened. Bye, bye to me
Clarence!!
Miguel: Dem manatees are lots more important than I thought buay. Dem are part of our Belizean
heritage, yu know, and they help us support fu we economy by bringing dem tourists who
appreciate wild animals.
No wonder dat’s why the Government me declare some a dem reserves buay such as Corozal
Bay and Gales Point Manatee Sanctuary.
Sammy: Yes, buay and yu ever hear bout Chocolate from Caye Caulker who me ask for another
reserve ina Swallow Caye?
Miguel: Yes, we me hear bout it but never put too much attention fur it. But fu now buay. I tell yu,
me believe dem manatees reached out to us and guided us to safety from the storm.
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Sammy: Yes. me really feel a strang connection to dem manatees, and now me have a much
deeper preciation fu dem rare animals. No wonder my grandpa Pedro me used to call dem
mermaids, they not only are great creatures, but also smart. Even smarter than yu, yu know?!!!
Miguel: And just think buay, we almost killed dem just a while ago!!! May the Holy father pardon
us!!! . . . Buay u me say smarter than me? The one above know why e me put dem here, yu
know.
From now on me promise, I will be very careful to slow down when I’m in a manatee area.
Tonight I will have fu tell a good story to Felipe, Mateo and Jose bout dem creatures and how
important they are to us.
Sammy: Dat’s good Miguel. Me too I will have fu tell Matilda bout what me happened to me today.
Yu know how I gwin call me story: “Manatees matter to me.”
Miguel: Dat sound even like nice title fu a song buay!!!!
Narrator: And as both fishermen return back home singing a tune for the manatees, both
Hercules and his mother Misty gave each other a smile. They knew that no longer would they be
in danger from this boat and possibly from others along the community of Gales Point.
THE END
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