For manta rays, parasitic hitchhikers can be a pain in the rear, study finds
Manta rays tend not to swim alone. Not only do they socialize with their own kind, but they’re also accompanied by a range of different species — from sharksuckers to…
In Gabon, a new partnership protects sharks and rays
The Government of Gabon has passed landmark measures to manage and protect the country’s sharks and rays: over the past decade, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has worked with the Gabon…
Indonesian researchers study how to help rays released as bycatch survive
JAKARTA — Researchers in Indonesia are working to identify the best practices for safely releasing threatened manta rays and devil rays that are caught alive unintentionally by fishers. Populations of…
Landed by the thousands: Overfished Congo waters put endangered sharks at risk
Too many industrial fishing trawlers — mostly Chinese — along with Republic of Congo’s large artisanal fishing fleet. are threatening 42 shark and ray species; all are on the IUCN red list: Report.
Small steps aim to make a large ocean safer for rays
Purse seine fishing nets may be set for tuna, but they trap whatever fish swim into them, including manta and devil rays. As the net tightens, rays will panic and…
In Indonesian waters, filter feeders can ingest dozens to hundreds of microplastic particles every hour
New research finds that large filter feeders in the waters of Indonesia could be ingesting dozens to hundreds of microplastic particles every hour. Due to their filter feeding strategy, manta…
Manta rays are social creatures who are choosy about their friends
It turns out that manta rays might be as picky about their friends as you or me. Researchers have found evidence of structured social relationships among wild, free-ranging reef manta…
Information is key – but lacking for sharks and rays in the Western Indian Ocean (commentary)
Great white sharks, bull sharks, tiger sharks: All are household names, synonymous with media hype, and made infamous through films and documentaries. These “deadly” names represent just three species of…
Thousands of sharks and rays are likely entangled in plastic polluting Earth’s oceans
New research finds that thousands of sharks and rays could be entangled in the plastic polluting Earth’s oceans. Scientists at the UK’s University of Exeter examined existing scientific literature and…
Recreational divers help researchers track movements of rare stingray
The smalleye stingray may be the largest of marine stingrays, but the species remains a mystery. It’s believed to be widely distributed across the Indo-West Pacific and has been recorded…
Caribbean nations boost protection for extremely rare largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish, a large ray with a chainsaw-like nose extension, is among the largest fish in the world, growing more than 6.5 meters (20 feet) in length. This majestic…
Rare nursery for baby manta rays discovered in Gulf of Mexico
A marine sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas is teeming with baby manta rays, scientists say in a new study published in Marine Biology. Giant oceanic manta rays…
Do catch and release-induced abortions harm shark and ray populations?
Scientists have long raised concerns over the future of sharks and rays, of which some 100 million are caught and killed on fishing boats every year. They have paid somewhat…
Belize imposes offshore oil moratorium to protect reefs
The government of Belize halted all exploration for oil in its territorial waters from Dec. 29, becoming one of the first developing countries to turn away from oil in favor…
Shrinking Indonesian shark fisheries spur a national action plan
Like all big fishing ports in Indonesia, Tanjung Luar is one that you can smell before you see. At 7 a.m., it is a thick crowd of fishwives, turmeric painted…
Javanese fishermen switch from lobsters to stingrays as an unintended consequence of new catch limits
"This is for the future of our oceans," Indonesian Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti exclaimed when she announced minimum size limits for lobster and crab catches in January this year. It…
Conservationists catch-and-release record-smashing freshwater fish
Releasing the giant mamma freshwater stingray. Photo courtesy of Ocean Mysteries and Jeff Corwin. Conservationists and scientists have managed to catch-and-release what could be the world's biggest freshwater fish ever…
In unprecedented move, Indonesia punishes illegal manta ray trader
Reef manta rays (Manta alfredi) swim off Nusa Penida in Indonesia. Photo Credit: Paul Hilton/Greenpeace For the first time, Indonesia has sentenced an illegal manta ray trafficker to jail time…
Manta ray tourism worth 28 times more than killing them for Traditional Chinese Medicine
A new study in the open access journal PLoS ONE estimates that manta rays are worth $140 million a year in tourism across 23 countries, significantly outweighing the worth of…
Sharks and rays win protections at CITES
The scalloped hammerhead shark is one of five sharks and two manta rays that won protection today at CITES, so long as it isn't overturned. Photo by: Stacy Jupiter/WCS. Today,…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Illegal deforestation intensifies along Brazilian highway as agribusiness hopes swell
- As soy frenzy grips Brazil, deforestation closes in on Indigenous lands
- Deforestation of endangered wildlife habitat continues to surge in southern Myanmar
- Deforestation spikes in Virunga National Park, DRC
Oceans
- Philippines banks on new fisheries management system, but rollout is rocky
- For manta rays, parasitic hitchhikers can be a pain in the rear, study finds
- ‘Mismanaged to death’: Mexico opens up sole vaquita habitat to fishing
- Building back Miami’s Biscayne Bay: Do natural solutions hold hope?
Amazon Conservation
- Illegal deforestation intensifies along Brazilian highway as agribusiness hopes swell
- Lessons from the 2021 Amazon flood (commentary)
- Amazon and Cerrado deforestation, warming spark record drought in urban Brazil
- As soy frenzy grips Brazil, deforestation closes in on Indigenous lands
Land rights and extractives
- Brazil prosecutors seek ban on all gold mining in hard-hit Amazonian region
- Killings, invasions escalate in fight for land in Brazil’s Maranhão state
- ‘Red-carded’ Australian miner signals intention to play on in Greenland
- Myanmar’s warring military and rebels find common ground in corrupt jade trade
Endangered Environmentalists
- Rights groups demand end to Cambodia’s persecution of green activists
- With Indigenous rights at stake in Brasília, a territory is attacked in Paraty
- Brazil’s Bolsonaro vowed to work with Indigenous people. Now he’s investigating them
- Intimidation of Brazil’s enviro scientists, academics, officials on upswing
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- From Flores to Papua: Meet 10 of Indonesia’s mangrove guardians
- Why I stand for my tribe’s forest: It gives us food, culture, and life (commentary)
- Reforesting a village in Indonesia, one batch of gourmet beans at a time
- Restoring Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, one small farm at a time
Conservation Effectiveness
- Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
- ‘Bad science’: Planting frenzy misses the grasslands for the trees
- A Malagasy community wins global recognition for saving its lake
- Scientists in Costa Rica are growing new corals to save reefs
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- A road project in Indonesia’s Gorontalo carves a path of graft and grief
- NGOs call for alternative routes for Bornean road to avoid wildlife habitat
- Irrigation dams threaten Thailand’s tiger forests, say conservationists
- Relocating mangroves for Indonesian highway ‘not that easy,’ expert warns
