Conservation of the West African Manatee in Cameroon:A Behavioral, Cultural and Attitude Survey

Description

The West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis, Link 1795) is an aquatic mammal endemic to the West African coasts and ranges from Senegal to Angola, and Guinea to Chad. Threats to its survival include the destruction of its habitat through various human activities like mangrove harvesting, faming along watersides, illegal capture, and poor conservation policies. Study aimed at determining the community’s perceptions and attitude towards the manatee and how this impacted the manatee’s survival in the Douala-Edea region of Cameroon. There is a general awareness of the Manatee in the region, and they support the animal’s harvesting for human consumption, socioeconomic activities and due to due to human – wildlife conflicts. Despite negative perception and attitude towards the manatee, some people agree it should be conserved for future heritage and recreational purposes. Conservation efforts will be successful if the population is made aware of the threats, they pose to the animal’s survival due to their activities, through community sensitization programs involving various stakeholders and research work related to the animal.