Manatee experts to discuss book at local bookstore

April 11, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Manatee experts and authors Roger Reep and Robert Bonde will discuss their new book, “The Florida Manatee: Biology and Conservation,” the most complete single volume on manatee biology and conservation, at 8 p.m. April 19 at Goerings Bookstore, 3433 W. University Ave.

As veteran researchers with 45 years’ experience between them, Reep and Bonde have created an engaging and accessible tale of the manatee for professionals and interested lay people alike. It will be published in May by the University Press of Florida.

Technological innovations, new research, and conservation efforts since the landmark protection legislation of the early 1970s are central to the manatee story, especially today when the manatee’s protection status is under fire. Reep and Bonde argue that increasing interaction between man and manatee, most notably through the shared use of waterways, makes ongoing scientific research essential if successful coexistence is to be possible.

Reep is a neuroscientist and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. He was lead organizer for the First International Manatee and Dugong Research Conference and for the Florida Marine Mammal Health Conference. Bonde is a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Sirenia Project.