The large extent and the remoteness of the areas we cover mean that we must make the best use possible of the scientific tools and methods at our disposal in order to learn more about the ecology of the African manatee and estimate more rapidly the number of different populations in Africa, the sizes of these populations and the impact of hunting on them. All this additional knowledge will help us to conserve manatees in Africa.

Genetic analysis is one such tool. It can determine the number, diversity and sizes of populations, as well as where distinct populations occur and where the boundaries of their ranges lie. Because low genetic diversity can signal both low population size and the long-term impact of hunting, genetic analysis can be very effective in the conservation and management of threatened species and populations. Physiology studies can also be very helpful, telling us about growth rates, longevity, disease and baseline health.

Feeding ecology and migration patterns can be studied using stable isotopes, a tool that identifies what an animal has been eating over time. All these techniques are used regularly to study other animals, but have been widely applied to the study of African manatees only since 2009.

The large number of threats to African manatees gives urgency to our work. The first priority is to understand how many unique populations of the species exist across its large range. It is not only a reduction in population size that makes a species vulnerable to extinction; its resilience is often determined by the strength of its genetic diversity – or how many distinct populations there are. Over 10 years my collaborators and I have collected 78 manatee samples from 12 countries in order to determine where distinct populations occur. Through my genetics research I have identified 25 new mitochondrial haplotypes (these are unique versions of the same gene) for the African manatee – an exciting revelation because only five mitochondrial haplotypes had been known previously. These markers identified four separate populations: one in coastal West Africa (Senegal, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau); an inland population in the Senegal River; an inland Niger River population with samples coming from Mali, Niger, Chad and Cameroon; and a large population in the coastal rivers and lagoons of West and Central Africa (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon and Gabon).

Recently, using the technique of analysing stable isotopes, I found that in Senegal manatees eat at least four species of fish as well as freshwater mussels and estuarine clams – food items that made up 50% of their diet! So, unlike the other two manatee species (the West Indian and Amazonian), African manatees have a varied, omnivorous diet. For a species previously considered to be a herbivore, this is pretty big news. But why is this important? This study gives us accurate information about the food items that manatees need, which can help managers to prioritise the protection of places where they are abundant. This new information also tells us which species we need to monitor as important food sources for manatees. As an example, now that we know that manatees in Senegal depend on molluscs and fish, we need to resolve conflicts with fishermen and help to conserve not just the plants the manatees eat, but all the food species they depend upon. This dietary analysis of African manatees in Senegal was the first for the species, and I look forward to understanding manatee diets in other countries.

As African researchers begin studies in their home countries, many other, new research projects are taking shape as well. Studies of manatee habitat and distribution are under way in Senegal, the Gambia, Mali, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Angola. At least 10 young African biologists are currently working on graduate degrees that focus on the distribution, physiology and behaviour of African manatees. In June 2015 I initiated an advanced two-year training and mentoring programme for eight researchers from Cameroon, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo who are studying manatees in their countries, documenting the impact of illegal hunting and leading educational campaigns to raise awareness about the manatee’s protected status.

Getting community buy-in

In addition to conducting research projects, the manatee network has initiated several promising new conservation efforts in recent years, including three in Senegal, Mali and Nigeria.

• At Lake Guiers, a manatee hotspot in Senegal, local communities have got together to create and administer a natural reserve. Tocc Tocc is the first protected area established specifically for African manatees. Community leaders from five villages in northern Senegal worked together to form a conservation committee and draw up regulations for the protected area on Lake Guiers, which is recognised by Senegal’s National Parks Ministry and by the Ramsar Convention as a Wetland of International Importance. Twenty eco-guards, who act as rangers, have been hired from the five villages and trained to conduct regular patrols and enforcement, as well as collect data on manatees and other wildlife using the refuge. Tocc Tocc sells collection permits for several species of plants in the reserve and is now being developed as an ecotourism site in order to become self-sustaining.
• In central Mali, researcher Soumaile Berthe is working with seven communities along the Bani and Niger rivers to establish protected areas for manatees and encourage participation in ‘Friends of the Manatee’ clubs. These clubs now have more than 500 members, who harnessed public support to create five small protected areas near villages, including an important freshwater spring where manatees come to drink.
• At Nigeria’s Lekki Lagoon outside Lagos, manatee researcher Dunsin Bolaji offered manatee hunters an alternative, proposing that if they gave up hunting and removed all their traps, he would teach them how to breed and raise catfish. He would also supply them with all the equipment and juvenile fish they needed to get started. At first the hunters were sceptical, but a few decided to try and the programme has become wildly successful. Two years later, 17 hunters are part of the programme and all 14 manatee traps in the area have been removed. The former hunters now have 14 sustainable catfish aquaculture cages and have already sold more than one tonne of fish, using some of the proceeds to keep their aquaculture business going. The year before the project began, this community killed 133 manatees; the year after, it killed none.

Three additional communities in the area and manatee researchers in other countries have now also requested this training so that they can provide a viable alternative to manatee hunting. Once the manatee network has raised the necessary funds, we will expand this programme.