Manatee Rescue and Conservation with Jamal Galves, Ep.106

This is another episode of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program series! 

Affectionately known as the Manatee Man, Jamal Galves discovered his calling earlier than most. Growing up in the coastal village of Gales Point Manatee, he saw these gentle animals almost every day, never realizing they were endangered until a team of researchers arrived and opened his eyes to their struggle. At just eleven years old, he stepped onto a manatee research boat for the first time and that moment reshaped the entire trajectory of his life.

Today, Jamal leads the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute’s Belize Program, home to the longest-running manatee conservation effort in the Greater Caribbean. His work blends rigorous science with the wisdom and partnership of local communities, creating a model of conservation that is as people-centered as it is wildlife-focused.

This episode explores the heart and science behind his work from marine mammal rescue, to the shifting health of manatee populations, how he gets buy-in of his conservation efforts, and more. 

Highlights

• How did an 11-year-old kid with no shoes talked his way onto a manatee research boat?
• How a two-day old manatee rescued after a hurricane inspired a whole nation.
• A first look at Belize’s new Marine Rescue & Education Center, built to heal manatees and inspire people toward action.

What YOU Can Do

• Be mindful on the water. When boating or visiting coastal areas, follow no-wake zones, avoid seagrass beds, and stay alert for wildlife.
• Start young - or start now. There is no age or skill requirement to make a difference. All you need is your desire to help.
• Volunteer for cleanups, youth programs, or community events.
• Share stories that inspire action. Spreading positive conservation messages helps reach people who may never encounter them otherwise.
• Practice sustainable habits at home. Small changes in waste, water use, or energy matter when many people do them.

Resources

• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute – Belize Program
• Manatee Conservation Information (Greater Caribbean / Antillean Manatee)
• Jamal’s Instagram
• Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL)
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium – Belize Marine Rescue & Education Center Announcement

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Transcript

Hi, friends. As this season starts to wind down, I’m already dreaming up conversations for next season. If you’re part of a wildlife, environmental, or conservation organization and you’d like to reach curious, action-oriented listeners, I’d love to partner with you. You can sponsor a full season or a single episode. Want to explore the possibilities? Reach out – you’ll find my contact info in the show notes.

I am Crystal DiMiceli and welcome to the Forces for Nature Show. Do you find yourself overwhelmed with all the doom and gloom you hear of these days? Do you feel like you as just one [00:00:45] person, can't really make a difference? Forces for nature cuts through that negativity. In each episode, I interview someone who is working to make the world more sustainable and humane. Join me in learning from them and get empowered to take action so that you too can become a force for nature.

Welcome to another episode of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program series! 

When you think of Belize’s coastline, you might picture calm blue water and quiet mangroves. But for the Greater Caribbean manatees that call it home, life is anything but calm. Boat strikes, disappearing habitat, and pollution are pushing this gentle species toward the brink.

Today’s guest has been fighting for them since he was eleven years old.
 Affectionately known as the Manatee Man, Jamal Galves—now the Belize Program Coordinator for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute—leads the region’s longest-running manatee study and is at the center of nearly every rescue, rehabilitation, and community initiative in the country.

In our conversation, Jamal shares the extraordinary story that pulled him into this work, the extraordinary rescue of a newborn manatee named Hope,and his vision for Belize’s soon-to-open Marine Rescue and Education Center—a place designed not just to heal animals, but to inspire people.

[00:00:00] Crystal: Hi Jamal. Thank you so much for joining me on Forces for Nature. It's so great to have you. 

[00:00:05] Jamal: Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to having a conversation with you this morning. 

[00:00:09] Crystal: Yeah, definitely. So let's just dive in.

When did you become interested in working with manatees? 

[00:00:18] Jamal: Well, for me, it started at a very early age. It wasn't a part of my plan, but clearly a part of my destiny as a kid. I always, I always loved law and loved being in courtrooms, and [00:00:30] I always wanted to be either a judge or a lawyer.

But, oh, destiny had something else, um, cooked up for me. I grew up in a poor coastal community named Gales Point Manatee, so it's actually named after the species. So that alone tells you. It's an important place for manatees, they're present there. And as a kid I would always see manatees, but it's kind of like a kid who sees a bird or a duck or a dog.

It seemed normal for me because you see it so much and it [00:01:00] really makes you realize that sometimes things that you see every day you take for granted. But as a young kid, I would see this weird looking boat go by. It says, manatee research. Has an engine in the front and a tower, which is weird. It's not normal kind of boat.

And like a kid who sees the cool truck, I was fascinated by the boat. And so we started asking questions, found out that they're doing manatee research. And before you know it, my cousins and I would start playing manatee rescue and my grandma's lawn. Fighting to see who get to drive the boat, who gets to be [00:01:30] the cool doctor?

But eventually my interest sort of outgrown my grandma's lawn. I wanted more than play manatee research. I wanted the real thing. And so I showed onto to the dock where to leave, and I approached the guy who, who is my boss today. And I said to him, I want come out with you guys. This 11-year-old kid, no shirt, no footwear, just a, just some shorts.

I'm ready to go. And he looked at me, he shouted for a second and say, ah, kid, you're too small. [00:02:00] Indeed. I was too small indeed. How old are you? It's not as safe. I was 11 years old when indeed it wasn't ideal place for an 11-year-old kid to be. I made a very convincing, I'm about to cry face that I guess played in his heart, and he said, okay, let's go.

I did not even ask my grandma's permission, which had some consequences when I got back home, but, um, I would do it again 10 times over. But being out there with this world-known researchers taught me things about the species. I saw animals every day and didn't know, [00:02:30] never knew what the word endangered meant., didn't know that these animals were in trouble, didn't know that they were fighting extinction.

I didn't know that as an 11-year-old kid, there was something that I could have done to make a difference to these species. And so for me it was just eye opening and it's sort of a call and I felt that call was, for me, the timing is perfect. Even that perfect at 11 years old. 'cause you don't a new location.

Be thinking about saving the species. But I mean, [00:03:00] considering what society and the world is like today, we need kids to start even earlier. But being out there, they taught me so much things. I realized that there's, you know, that these animals are in trouble and, and there's something that I could have done. And so I started volunteering every year until eventually they could not get rid of me and they offered me a job at 16 years old.

[00:03:19] Crystal: That's the way to do it. That's certainly persistence.

Can you tell me about this project that, that you have going on? 

[00:03:26] Jamal: So in Belize we had the longest longitudal study of the, of Greater [00:03:30] Caribbean manatees, and this in the world.

This program started back in 1997 as a result of conservation needs. It was in a collaboration with the government of Belize and the communities in which we work.. So the collaborative effort is, is large. It spans , from here in Belize to as far as Africa. It literally has become a, a learning hub of manatee conservation, as many conservationists , that you see in the world today.

At some point had come to Belize to get some additional knowledge and some hands-on experience. And [00:04:00] so this effort here in Belize is critical. Not just for the species alone, but for the people, but also that the conservation efforts here is what's going to, eventually remove these species off the endangered list. .

We're hoping that , what we're doing is going to be enough that. One day, manatees will be in places that they used to be, or one day manatees will be seen more prevalent in places that the numbers have dwindled, but conservation. But it's always people centered. People literally are the biggest [00:04:30] issues that these wildlife face.

And so we have to bring people to the center of this conservation so that they can be not just a part of, but feel that like they have some ownership in it. When people feel that they're a part of something and they feel that they have ownership, they tend to want to see success. And so that's really the model that we're trying to create in Belize and we're trying to have this model be spread across the globe.

[00:04:54] Crystal: Now your program has been capturing and assessing dozens of individuals over the [00:05:00] decades. What major trends are you seeing in the population? has anything surprised you 

[00:05:05] Jamal: a lot 

 we've definitely seen, and, and they still seen changes as it relates to their health, their movement patterns, their corridors conflict with human beings.

As the world continues to become more populated, space becomes limited. So people are exploring, are utilizing space that they normally would've used because. Land is, is limited. And so that brings them into [00:05:30] space that naturally and normally known for wild spaces for, animals and other wildlife that historically they have used and now , they're using the same spaces and the, the activities that they're doing does not support the lifestyle of these species.

Like, for instance, developing co cell habitats. Um, tearing down mangrove. Dredging Seagrass beds so that boats or ships can come in. They're destroying their homes. historically we did not normally see a lot of manatees in Belize boats, cars 'cause there [00:06:00] wasn't a lot of boats at those times. fast forward to today, where there's boats everywhere, I would believe that 6 out of 10 manatees that we assess have a boat scar.

And that is not something that we saw 20 years ago. 

 And one of the things that we've seen that historical manatees tend to generally be healthy. But now because of the, the disturbance of the environment, this, the, the dredging of the sediments, they're exposed to toxins, they're exposed to agricultural runoff, they're exposed to more.

So we're looking at their [00:06:30] health today, and you'll see things that you don't normally would've seen them on manatees health in the past. So a lot of the changes, a lot of the things that, trends that we're seeing derive from anthropogenic cause and not necessarily natural causes affecting these species 

[00:06:46] Crystal: Yeah, these long-term studies help to provide for a baseline so you can see the then and the now and and the future.

So it's really interesting and super important, a testament to long-term studies. [00:07:00] 

[00:07:00] Jamal: Definitely. 

[00:07:02] Crystal: What role do local communities play in manatee conservation in Belize. 

[00:07:08] Jamal: This project is unique in many, many ways, many, many ways. it's started in this local communitythe community Still today makes up at about 65% of the research team. It's interesting in the fact that it has gone from fathers now to their children that you could literally see the, the historical trend. Being passed on and the knowledge that are [00:07:30] brought into this research is a merge of scientific and local knowledge, and we don't take local knowledge lightly, 

The community members were the ones that showed them where manatees are hanging out the most. What are the issues that they see? And they, and they mere observation, that's the foundation of this research effort. 

And, uh, another part of this is that our research expanded. It started just as manatee conservation and it has expanded to supporting livelihoods. We've assisted with them getting their fishing [00:08:00] license, which none of them ever had or ever held. We assisted it. Some of them get becoming tour guides, which no one ever had or ever held.

We've assisted with. Training so that they can create sustainable fishing methods. And we've assisted school support for many of the kids there in the community to allow them to go farther as the community lacks those types of opportunities. And by hiring locals, we are providing livelihoods, whether we're buying lunch from locals.

We tend to try and get lunch on [00:08:30] a different person each time so that everybody in the community benefits, whether it's a small way or not, they do benefits. And so by that we have the extended and extreme full support of this community. 

I came from that community and an opportunity was offered to me through this project. And now my goal is to offer the opportunity to other members, not just in our community, but. Our program has become the teaching ground from manatee conservation research. Over the years, we've brought people from, as far as Cameroon, Africa, [00:09:00] they come to Belize to learn Cuba, America.

 we have trained individuals that are able to provide conservation measures that will address any trait that these animals are facing wherever they are throughout their range.

[00:09:13] Crystal: That sounds wonderful. 

? how are you able to change that mindset for people? , How are you working to get that buy-in and, and change the way they look at 

[00:09:26] Jamal: there's not one, one approach. It's literally individual approach. [00:09:30] We try to find people where they are in their time, in their space, speak to them in a language that they understand.

I'm not going to talk to a lay person. About graphs and, and scientific publications. We found a way to simplify our comprehensive research so that normal people can understand it. And I think that's one of the things that researchers and scientists often tend to lack. We are speaking to the choirs, people that have already been converted publications is for, is for other researchers and scientists.[00:10:00] 

Normally people don't look at publications. Half of them not able to understand it. So we took the extra mile to to, to simplify things, to make it in a language and in terms and context that they would agree to or they would see or and understand better. But we, I even go further to talking to a fisherman is different from how I'm going to talk to a teacher.

'cause they all have different appeals and for us is literally meeting people where they are because that way you can talk to them individually, you can find out what [00:10:30] appeals to them. A teacher may have more interest in bringing kids out so that they can see manatees and using that angle to her or him brings them in.

While a fisherman may not feel that manatees is important to him or her. Because it's fish. But when you explain to them that manatees, they eat about 9% of their body weight, and they excrete a lot and their excretion acts as food for small fishes and crustacean. And that literally is the food for the fishes that they're catching.

And if manatees were [00:11:00] to be gone, fishes have no food and they will have no food in the end that brings it to light to them. So it's literally taking the time, putting in the effort, doing the groundwork, meeting people where they are, simplifying things and ensuring that they do also have a say in it. I'm not preaching to them.

We're having a conversation. They're fully able to bring their concerns, express their concerns, ask questions, and we will try to answer them as best as possible, but also to make sure it's inclusive. Show them why this is a part of [00:11:30] them, why they're included in it, even though they don't think that they're included in it, and show them why that.

Even though this seems like a big conservation scientific thing and it's above their head because they know they lack degree. No, the knowledge that you have being a fisherman, being out in the water, the knowledge that you have as a teacher, you'll be the messenger for this animal actually. 'cause you're the one bringing that message to the students.

So they all have angle and I can think about any career and I can find a way that it ties you because we are all tied, whether [00:12:00] you see it or not. We're just clearing the lines and making the connections for them. 

[00:12:05] Crystal: Yeah. And that's, that's a lesson that anyone can take with them, like in their own conservation work or their own passion project is. Mm-hmm. It's the way to get others on board. It's really important.

so you often go out and, and rescue. Hurt or sick manatees. can you share a memorable story or rehab case that stands out for [00:12:30] you? 

[00:12:30] Jamal: For me, all they are memorable.

They all have a different story, 

However, there was a manatee that we had a, at rescue, we had a, we had a hurricane in Belize. I think about, it was around 2015. That hurricane somehow. Wash this calf, this baby manatee out of the ocean, across yard across Belize's major highway and into the backyard of a motel.

So after the hurricane was over there were lampposts laying downs [00:13:00] and trees in the roads and people lost their roof. People lost their lifestyle. . No, no lives were lost. Thankful for that. So they were cleaning up the breeze and then they saw this little manatee in a little puddle of water.

Just the puddle has already started to recede 'cause the water had already gone down. Oh. And so they called me and they said There's a manatee backyard being familiar with the location. I wasn't quite understanding what they're saying or I thought the report was false. And [00:13:30] so I, we got at the group and he went down there.

And lo and behold, it was there not close to the ocean in the backyard. Motel looked like a small plastic bag. It must have been three days old. It still had its umbilical cord attached, so it wasn't strong enough to keep up with its mother. As the wave surge become bigger and stronger and the wind became increasing and the conditions were not favorable from a manatee, and I assume that the mother was trying to get into a buffer area that she could have protected [00:14:00] her calf but wasn't able to do so in time. So the young calf, like I mentioned, was about two or three days old, still had a umbilical cord atached. She was just plusing around, probably afraid, frantic spend that night in the backyard of a motel in dark, uh, with the sound of howling wind trees whistling.

I sometimes pin that, that experience in my head and I couldn't imagine it all. A 

[00:14:21] Crystal: poor little baby. It had 

[00:14:22] Jamal: to be, had to be very brave to overcome something like that. I had hope to be as brave as that. If I had had to experience something like that. [00:14:30] I quickly picked it up and I could have felt its heart in my hand, ponged in, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Which tells me that it was afraid. Right? Rightfully to be afraid, Being in a strange space, being picked up by a strange thing, and as I pushed it up against my body to make it feel a little bit more comfortable, I could start feeling the heart rate, starting to just boom, boom, boom, boom, starting to relax as, as it, as it realizes that I'm safe.

I'm [00:15:00] not in a space where you're causing harm or, and we put it in the back of the truck and we proceed to go to the rescue center. I noticed it's had a strange behavior. manatees naturally would project their heads up to put their head outta the water to breathe. What I realized he was doing is that he's sticking his head up trying to find that, that water line and 'cause it, it doesn't feel a change.

It doesn't want to breathe 'cause it feels like it's still underwater. And so [00:15:30] it started to become laborous breathing and it started to panic and that would, uh, probably led to a heart. Attack or something of that sort because feels like you want to breathe, but you can't breathe. And that by itself, I think would've, would've been even more frantic and more Scared full than spending the night outside. So we turned the truck around and he immediately run into a supermarket. We bought a small pool, hurry, fill it with water. And he put it in there and it, it immediately started the breath normally, 'cause it could have felt the transition between the water and the air.[00:16:00] 

[00:16:00] Crystal: Oh. And so 

[00:16:01] Jamal: we transported it to the center in that. Little pool and we ended up, I, I ended up naming it, naming that manatee Hope, because I felt there was a beacon of hope during the time of disaster. No lives lost. Not even a manatee live lost and the country rallied, rallied around it. To have taught a 2-year-old manatee survived that storm outside by itself.

We can rebuild, we can get up, we can wake up, we can go forward. We can find a way to [00:16:30] overcome this. Just as a two days old manatee was able to do so. So I felt the timing was perfect. The story was, was Rich, the, the, the country pounched on it. It was shared. It went viral all over the country. People were like excited about it 'cause it, it brought hope, not just for manatee, brought hope for for people.

And it shows you the human and wildlife interaction right there that we all do coexist. We all have similar stories. We all can find ways to, to push and move [00:17:00] each other to do better. 

[00:17:01] Crystal: Oh, I love that. And How long did you have to rehab him? 

[00:17:05] Jamal: So, hope was in rehab, I believe for about four years.

When they come in that young, it takes a while. They have to be able to reach a certain size and weight and pro and project a certain behavior for, for them to be a candidate of release back into the well. 

[00:17:19] Crystal: And, and was he, he she released, 

[00:17:22] Jamal: yeah, he was released and he's out there being wild, um, somewhere.

Yeah. Um, usually when they're released, you, you, you usually [00:17:30] put a transmitter on them so you can make sure they're actually adapting. But, um, he doesn't have a transmitter anymore, so,

[00:17:36] Crystal: You recently broke ground on a new Belize Marine Rescue and Educational Center. Congratulations on that.

First of of all, thank you very much. And can you take us through how that came about and what you're most excited about, what you anticipate it'll do for manatee conservation and, and local communities? 

[00:17:54] Jamal: Uh, it's a project that I regret became needed. We are of the belief and the [00:18:00] need and want, manatees this to be well and free safe.

Away from harm. Our efforts is to put measures in place that prevent manatees from coming into these places. But as the population increase and the, and the issues increase, unfortunately sadly there's need for additional space there. There is a current facility in the north, but I feel that the numbers have increased significantly, that there is need for a additional facility in close proximity to where the incidents occur.

 it still hasn't really come [00:18:30] to reality in my head because I spent days, months, years drawing and toying around and, and paper the design, the layout of something that I didn't even have money to build literally.

I've drew out a hundred versions of what I expect The pool is supposed to be like the shape where it's supposed to be located. I've thought the process in my head a thousand times that. I could have presented it from my head because it was always in my head. I was fortunate to have met with the [00:19:00] Minister of Tourism in Belize and I basically brought my doodle, my my drawings, and I'm no artist.

 I explained to him this is what I want to do, and I explained to him the problems that manatees are facing and how they can be a part of supporting this and being tourism. manatees play a role in tourism. This is one of the few countries you can come and see the greater Caribbean manatees in the wild.

So it is a tourist attraction and by providing an avenue that you can save these species provides one other manatee that can [00:19:30] be utilized for tourism. And he was like, then I don't need to be sold. How can we help? What do we need to start? And the minister honor, honorable Anthony Maller kept his word and the government of Belize is actually funding this project, the development of the, the, the construction of the site.

But I didn't just want it to be a rescue center. I wanted to be education because education is critical for the future, conservation of any marine or any wildlife at all. So I wanted to include an educational center where you can walk [00:20:00] in and we're trying to go away from , the norms of putting posters on the wall, information changes every day.

You can't change information on the poster every day. So I don't want, any posters on the wall. I wanted to always be interactive. I want it to be today's information. So everything is going to be. Interactive screens, real life displays are hoping to install real life mangroves in there, seagrass.

 So the vision is for you to be able to walk through this room.

You'll go from the sea grass to mangrove, to manatees, to sea turtles, to the coral reef, to [00:20:30] whales. So it's gonna be like a marine walk, but as best as possible, making it, making it interactive, you can touch a manatee and you can see it shall route where it goes. You can touch a whale and you can hear his song.

So really making memorably experience that people leave there moved. People believe they're wanting to do something about it, whether you are a banker or a lawyer or a doctor, or you have nothing to do with conservation. The goal is to inspire people to want to be a part of it. To show them that being a part of [00:21:00] conservation doesn't mean a job.

It literally means changing some of their behaviors. It literally means sharing a post on social media. There is simple way that you can contribute. So the goal is to bring that across and also visitors to be able to walk out and literally walk right up to our medical suite where you can see that they're doing a surgery and assessment.

Nothing hidden. No behind, no behind the behind walls, pools, everything exposed. I believe that whatever we're doing, no matter how invasive, no matter [00:21:30] how it may look, it is necessary. And people need to understand and see what these animals go through so that they do can tell that they too, can understand the pains that they go through the trails to see the scars, the boat strikes.

There's nothing hidden. Everything is going to be a a learning experience, teaching experience. , When you walk up to that window, where the medical is treated , someone will be talking to you, to what they're doing so that you understand the process.

Visitors will be able to walk a ramp, see these manatees in their going through their [00:22:00] process, whether it's a critical care pool, recover pool, or or the soft release area. , People will be out there talking about these animals telling their stories. There'll be posters of each of these animals.

Where they came from, their stories, their name, why they're here, how long they're gonna be here, so people can understand and see the journey of these animals. And the goal is, well, when the lead there inspired, um, but we're not just building a center or building a place that's going to be welcoming to all.

So it's designed to be taken people with wheelchairs, um, people that are physically unable we're working with [00:22:30] the, The first lady, the Prime Minister's wife of Belize, a special envoy, she leads a special envoy, which looks at people with disabilities, people that can't hear, people that can't see.

So we're trying to see how we can install stuff like braille in their songs, um, so that they too can feel a part so that they too can have these experience. I mean, for me, that came from a, an experience that I had. I had the opportunity to take out a school to see manatees in the wild , and I chose a, a special needs school.

It was very challenging because it required a lot more than it would've [00:23:00] normally required. And so I took these kids out there and I, observe one kid standing next to a kid that was blind, telling him what he's seen, and just to see the light in that little kid face, just from him telling him what he'd seen was enough to me to like, wa like it wowed me like, wow, just him telling him, I'm seeing the manatees coming to the surface, it's going down.

And I, I just imagine he's visualizing that in his own image and that lit his face up. And I felt to me that, you know [00:23:30] what? I want to create that same feeling here. I want people to, no matter where you are, and we're also doing a an inspired program, we're gonna utilize these animals to inspire change, inspire people that are suffering from mental illness, people that are suffering from whatever it is, people that just need the jumpstart.

seeing these animals going through what they go through and yet fighting. I feel like it gives people that hope. And so, like I said, it's not just a rescue center. It's a lot more, 

[00:23:58] Crystal: I can't wait to visit. When is [00:24:00] it scheduled to open? 

[00:24:02] Jamal: Um, we're looking at June, 2026. Um, so it's going quite fast. Oh, soon.

[00:24:06] Crystal: It's fast. Yeah. 

[00:24:07] Jamal: Yeah, it's going quite fast. It's, most of it is already built out. We just have some other stuff that they are working on, the pools and the life support system and stuff like that. 

[00:24:15] Crystal: Wonderful. I, I definitely wanna wanna be there. What have you learned about balancing hope and realism in conservation?

Because there's a lot of heavy stuff that goes on. [00:24:30] 

[00:24:31] Jamal: Yeah. Balancing hope and reality, those two things will always clash. In my early years, I found it to be a struggle and I still fight with it today. We all do. I don't think that anybody has ever overcome that, because to be in conservation, you have to be hopeful.

But to be in conservation means that you're also stoned by reality. Every now and then you take 20 step forward and they push you farther, step backwards. But in conservation, I always say it's not for the faints [00:25:00] of heart. It's for the most persistent, dedicated, committed individuals that don't accept no.

The ones that will break doors, make their own keys, break in like thieves to get to where they need to be, to get to what they need to get access to the safe or to make the world a better, better place. For me, I linger , on the positive stories. 

I linger around the, the messages, the letters that I receive from places from children who who've never seen man, auntie in places that [00:25:30] don't have manatees. When I read those messages, it, it really brings hope to me because I feel that if there's a kid in Vermont so far away from the ocean where there's no manatees is, could have took his or her time to bring paper to pen.

To express their love of manatees, and express their appreciation for the work that we're doing. Why not me? Who get the opportunity, the pleasure of seeing them almost every day have that same drive. So for me, my drive is unbroken, [00:26:00] cannot be broken because the fight is a real one. And if I become broke, if I lose hope, then there is no hope.

Then an entire species could go to extinction. 

Those are the things that really makes me like that. I, I, I really hung on to those things to push me through the turbulence. Challenging times, which are quite frequent, but I haven't allowed it to overcome. I'm always thinking about the next step.

 I stand on the shoulders of giants, people that have broken grounds, open doors for me, [00:26:30] make all that I am doing possible, including my mentor late. Great. Dr. James Body Powell, those people have given me keys for doors that I haven't even came across yet, so I feel prepared.

I'm built for it. I have the stamina for it, and I have the support of the individuals around me that will help me to push me when I'm tired or to get me through turbulent times. I have a country behind me. The entire country of Belize supports this initiative. They are with me. And knowing that just to know that someone is standing with you is very, [00:27:00] very powerful.

[00:27:01] Crystal: And you're a part of a even bigger group of wildlife leaders who are just as passionate and dedicated and persistent as you, which is the emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program. You were the CEWCL class, which was the Caribbean version of EWCL. How was your experience with them? 

[00:27:24] Jamal: I think it certainly helped me to become where I'm today, helped certainly put me in [00:27:30] track. It was one of my first experience getting taught some of the things that they bring to the table, like, you know, fundraising, public speaking awareness, 

 I met people that I still, I'm very, very good close friends with.

Still, I've made mentors that still mentor me today. I think it was my stepping stone to bringing me on, then putting me on the map, putting my work on the map.

It really provided a platform for me coming from a poor coastal community, coming from a developing country, going from a small country who has a small voice [00:28:00] in the world, allowing us to be in rooms, in places, and to be in platforms that we never would've been on. 

And so I do not take that experience for granted. It's one that I still carry with me. The lessons learned, I still practice them. It certainly was a life changing experience for me. 

[00:28:16] Crystal: And last but not least, for our listeners, what are some things that they can do from where they are? That can help manatees or, or marine conservation more broadly in [00:28:30] Belize or anywhere in the world.

[00:28:32] Jamal: Yeah. How can you help? I would say you don't, require any specific qualification to be a part of conservation. That's the best part of our conservation. It's for all.

Literally, we're all wanting to save the place in which we all live and enjoy and want to continue to live. simple thing that is required is the willingness to want to help. 

 There's not one way to help and help is not always writing a check or sending money in the mail. simply volunteering with your [00:29:00] local NGO that does conservation initiative, whether it's a beach cleanup, working with kids at a, at a summer camp simply by doing the, carrying out the practices that are are sustainable at home.

That's a big part of not just marine conservation, but conservation and a whole sharing the knowledge is very important.

Today, you're listening to this, and I'm hoping that you'll take this home to your kids or your family member. Tell that story to them. The most important tool in conservation. It's a listening ear [00:29:30] and a story. 

I've had stories come back to me from people that I've never met, and it shows you how far and how wide that message can go. And oftentimes it's simply hiting a button on your computer, Share. by sharing conservation messages, you're bringing that message to an audience that we do not normally meet or reach.

 we often click to share negativity. We often quick to share celebrity stuff. Why not share something that's going to change the world? And that's it right [00:30:00] there. Simply sharing positivity. You'd be surprised it might meet someone's day.

[00:30:05] Crystal: I agree. I love it.

[00:30:08] Jamal: I could give one more message. Um

, there's so much that needs saving and so little being done and so not enough people doing it. We need people to, to get on board. conservation is not a spectator sport. We see you in the stands cheering on. We appreciate you and not get done from the stands and get done on the field and help move the ball across the, across the line.

There's no [00:30:30] age restriction. Start young. I started at 11 years old. Impress me and start sooner. sooner you start, , the more you're going to be able to accomplish. Whether you're a banker, whether you're a teacher, whether you're a lawyer. There's room for you in conservation to be a part of this.

Remember, this is saving the very same plant that we call home. We don't deserve to fight this fight alone. We appreciate your support. We want you to join this fight. 

[00:30:54] Crystal: You're bringing so much hope to this species. Thank [00:31:00] you Jamal, for all that you do. No, thank you. Making a difference for 

[00:31:03] Jamal: Thank you for having me. It's definitely a pleasure. And thank you for, you know, reaching out and for this is another avenue for us to get the message out there.

Our audience will be listening and for us, every, every ear that gets this message is the one more ear that was gonna save manatees. 

What strikes me most about Jamal is not just his expertise, but the way he brings people into the story. Whether it is a fisherman, a teacher, a child in Vermont, or a visitor who is going to walk through the new rescue center, he meets each person where they are and shows them that they already have a place in conservation.

And his reminder at the end really stays with me:
  Conservation is not a spectator sport.
  We cannot cheer from the stands. These gentle giants — and the planet we all depend on — need all of us on the field in whatever way we can show up.

Don't forget to go to forces for nature.com and sign up to receive emailed show notes, action tips, and a free checklist to help you start taking practical actions today. [00:34:30] Do you know someone else who would enjoy this episode? I would be so grateful if you would share it with them. Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook at Becoming Forces for Nature, and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit could be a game changer because imagine if a million people also adopted that. What difference for the world are you going to make today?