This dataset contains records of American manatee (Trichechus manatus) sightings collected since 2009 along the coast of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil, by Instituto Biota de Conservação. The records were obtained through opportunistic reports from local communities and opportunistic monitoring. The dataset includes information on the date and location of each sighting, geographic coordinates, group size (when available), and other associated biological and environmental data.
","language":"eng","citation":{"text":"Bonfim W, Stefanis B (2026). Biota | American Manatee (Trichechus manatus) sightings in Alagoas, Brazil. Version 2.4. Instituto Biota de Conservação. 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Trichechus manatus; Sightings; Alagoas; Brazil;"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml","keywords":["American manatee; Trichechus manatus; Sightings; Alagoas; Brazil;"]}],"project":{"title":"Connecting Waters, Sharing Data: A Continental Collaboration for American Manatee Conservation","identifier":"BID-LAC2025-MIG-020","contacts":[{"type":"POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Carol","lastName":"Meirelles","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"Biodiversity Information for Development - BID","awards":[],"studyAreaDescription":"Region LAC","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"Although regionally recognized as Vulnerable, the American manatee (Trichechus manatus) is currently severely underrepresented in GBIF occurrence records. This lack of accessible data limits its inclusion in national action plans and weakens regional conservation planning for marine mammals in South America. The need for manatee data was identified during coordinated data-mapping efforts in 2023, led by Dr. Carol Meirelles through the Alliance for Manatees. These efforts revealed large data gaps despite the existence of records from universities, NGOs and government agencies.\n\nThis project standardizes and publishes legacy datasets compiled from 19 institutions and integrates new data collected across 2024 and 2025. The delivery of a regional workshop in Suriname, where manatee data is critically lacking, provides essential training for participants in data mobilization. Training associated with this project covers Darwin Core formatting, metadata preparation and publishing to GBIF. It will be delivered in partnership with GBIF Brazil (SiBBr), ensuring hands-on guidance from data experts. The project also produces a multilingual technical guide based on case studies, enabling replication and long-term sustainability of best practices.\n\nBy bridging knowledge gaps, promoting open-access data sharing and fostering regional collaboration, the project delivers long-term benefits for biodiversity. It provides an essential data foundation for conservation prioritization, supports environmental decision-making and ensures that aquatic mammals are integrated into national biodiversity strategies."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The study covers the coastline of Alagoas State, northeastern Brazil, including coastal, estuarine and lagoon environments where the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) occurs. The dataset includes sighting records collected since 2010 from different locations along the coast of Alagoas.","sampling":"Sighting records were obtained through opportunistic reports from local communities and opportunistic field observations conducted by the Instituto Biota de Conservação team during field activities. Whenever possible, information on the date, locality, geographic coordinates, number of individuals and other available biological and environmental observations was recorded for each sighting.","qualityControl":"Records were reviewed prior to publication. Taxonomic identification was performed by trained personnel or validated by the technical staff of Instituto Biota de Conservação. Geographic coordinates, dates, taxonomic nomenclature and other information were checked and standardized according to the Darwin Core standard. Inconsistent or incomplete records were corrected whenever possible or excluded from the dataset.","methodSteps":["Sighting records were obtained through reports from local communities or opportunistic field observations conducted by the Instituto Biota de Conservação team. The information was recorded in the institutional database, reviewed and validated by the technical staff, standardized according to the Darwin Core standard."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","acknowledgements":"The Instituto Biota de Conservação thanks all collaborators, volunteers, local communities, fishers, and partner institutions who contributed to reporting American manatee sightings along the coast of Alagoas. We also acknowledge the field teams whose efforts in data collection made this dataset possible.
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