A melanistic female reef manta ray somersault feeding, exposing a unique spot pattern on her belly. ©Conservation International/ photo by Edy Setyawan “While many locations with reef manta rays worldwide are seeing dramatic population declines, Raja Ampat is the only one to report an increase,” said lead author Edy Setyawan, a Conservation International consultant, and doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland’s Institute of Marine Science. This is a rare piece of good news given that shark and ray populations have dropped by 70 percent over the past 50 years, primarily from overfishing. Researchers primarily used photo identification to count the mantas, tracking individuals using the unique spot patterns on their undersides – similar to a human fingerprint, Setyawan said. The study focused on two of the larger MPAs: Southeast Misool, where populations of reef mantas jumped from 210 to 511 individuals, and Dampier Strait, where populations increased from 226 to 317. Spanning across 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals off the western tip of Indonesia's Papua province, Raja Ampat covers about 6.7 million hectares (16.5 million acres) and hosts a network of nine different MPAs. ©Conservation International/photo by Edy Setyawan “You might say the area’s ‘manta-nomic’ outlook is strong.” Raja Ampat. “Reef manta rays are a key attraction for the ecotourism that drives Raja Ampat’s economy,” Erdmann added. Importantly, the Indigenous communities of Raja Ampat benefit as well. “The findings clearly demonstrate the positive impact of a comprehensive set of long-term conservation measures to ensure the survival of this globally threatened species.” “This is a big win for conservation and Raja Ampat’s local communities,” said Mark Erdmann, who leads Conservation International’s Asia-Pacific marine programs. That includes establishing large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs), coupled with creating Southeast Asia’s first shark and ray sanctuary in 2012, and developing fisheries and tourism regulations, according to the study published in Frontiers of Marine Science. What’s behind the ray’s success? Holistic conservation efforts. Their populations around the world are plummeting, but in one protected area off the coast of Indonesia, a new study shows the rays are not only bucking worldwide trends – they’re thriving.įor over a decade, researchers in the Raja Ampat archipelago have monitored the threatened species, watching its population soar - more than double in one location - even as others struggled. Targeted for their gill plates and trapped accidentally in fishing nets, reef manta rays are in trouble.
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