Workshop: A continental collaboration for American manatee conservation

The workshop “Connecting Waters, Sharing Data: A Continental Collaboration for American Manatee Conservation” will bring together researchers, conservation practitioners, and biodiversity data specialists from across the Americas to strengthen collaboration for the conservation of the American manatee (Trichechus manatus). The event takes place from 24–27 June 2026, at the Royal Breeze Hotel in Paramaribo, Suriname.

The first day features a series of presentations by leading experts from Brazil, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico and French Guiana, covering topics such as manatee ecology, habitat use, movement ecology, photo-identification, rescue and rehabilitation, genetics, acoustics, food ecology, side-scan sonar applications and community-based conservation initiatives. Participants will also receive an introduction to GBIF and the objectives of the Alliance for Manatees and the GBIF-funded project “Connecting Waters, Sharing Data.”

The following three days focus on practical capacity building in biodiversity data management and publication. Through hands-on training sessions, participants will learn about biodiversity data standards, including Darwin Core and Ecological Metadata Language (EML), data quality assessment, dataset preparation, metadata creation and the complete workflow from dataset development to publication through GBIF. Participants will work directly with their own datasets, receiving guidance from biodiversity informatics specialists to prepare data for publication and long-term accessibility.

The workshop aims to increase the availability, quality and interoperability of manatee-related data across the species’ range, fostering regional cooperation and supporting evidence-based conservation actions, research, policy development and extinction risk assessments. By bringing together experts and institutions from multiple countries, the event will strengthen the growing network of the Alliance for Manatees and contribute to a more coordinated approach to American manatee conservation throughout the Americas.