The Future of West Indian Manatees

Even with the projected sea surface temperature increase it is still likely that the population of west Indian manatees will decline. With climate change we have seen an increase in number and intensity of hurricanes, which can kill manatees. There has also been a decrease in seagrass meadows which will likely continue to decrease. Even if the manatees can increase their range due to increased sea surface temperature it does not necessarily mean they will persist in those areas, there might not be enough food, or there could be another limiting factor. Another possible impact of climate change on the West Indian manatee is increased gene flow between the Antillean and Florida manatees. This might occur because warmer water would make the crossing easier for manatees. Climate change is complicated, and considering all of the different things it affects and what that will do to a species is even more complex.

https://wiki.mbgsd.org/MMS/Techno_Zoo/Megan

Since manatees have a long generation time (about 20 years) it is likely that they will not be able to evolve to meet new requirements, and although they are specialists in regard to both food and temperature, they do show some plasticity when it comes to where they will do these things. 

Given that the largest threat to the West Indian manatee right now is boat collisions, and the use of private boats is unlikely to decrease, stricter law enforcement for speeding in manatee areas will likely need to be put into effect. In the future preserving seagrass meadows and habitat may be an important and necessary action as well.