James A. Powell, Ph.D.

Research

James “Buddy” Powell, a pioneering manatee researcher who devoted decades to conserving the species, died in 2025.

He was the founder and executive director of the Sea to Shore Alliance, a mission-focused, field-oriented nonprofit research and conservation organization. By identifying manatees as a flagship species that could promote coastal conservation, Powell used his Pew fellowship to improve coastal habitat protection in countries with important manatee populations. To accomplish this, he recruited biologists and environmental managers from Africa and the Caribbean, training them in manatee and coastal marine research and conservation techniques. Powell’s project hosted and trained biologists from Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Ivory Coast, and Mexico.

Powell is the author of Manatees: Natural History and Conservation. He and his colleagues used the book in their training program and as an introduction to manatee biology and conservation for wildlife managers and decision-makers. Throughout his career, Powell sought to increase national capacity for conservation in developing countries, strengthen links between researchers and conservationists, and support the protection of manatees and their coastal habitats.

For more information about Powell and his contributions, read his obituary.