Ecology and Conservation of the Sirenia

Helene Marsh is Professor of Environmental Science and Dean of Graduate Research Studies at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. She is an international authority on the conservation biology of dugongs, sea turtles and coastal cetaceans, and led the team that developed the United Nations Environment Programme global Dugong Action Plan. Thomas J. O'Shea is Scientist Emeritus at the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado. A mammalogist, he conducted research on manatees for many years and has served on the federal Florida Manatee Recovery Team, the Committee of Scientific Advisors to the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission and the IUCN Sirenia Specialist Group. John E. Reynolds III is a Senior Scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida. He served as Chairman of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission between 1991 and 2010 and has recently worked closely with the United Nations Environment Programme to develop and implement a Caribbean-wide Marine Mammal Action Plan.

'… this book is a synthesis and communication tool for the ongoing work of hundreds of people, from field researchers in Florida or students in Australia to villagers in Senegal.' Oryx

• Foreword John G. Robinson; Preface; Acknowledgements; Frontispiece; 1. Introduction; 2. Steller's sea cow: discovery, biology and exploitation of a relict giant sirenian; 3. Affinities, origins and diversity of the sirenia through time; 4. Feeding biology; 5. Behaviour and habitat use; 6. Life history, reproductive biology and population dynamics; 7. Threats; 8. Conservation status: criteria, methods and an assessment of the extant species of sirenia; 9. Conservation opportunities; References; List of online supplementary materials; Index.