ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS THE PROTECTION OF MANTAS

At the last UN meeting on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, held in Bangkok, Ecuador's proposal to include mantas in CITES Appendix II has been approved. They are now considered vulnerable species, and the 11 Mars vote marks the first international agreement to protect all species of the genus Manta.

SAVED BY ECO-TOURISM

Direct income from mantas is estimated to be around $ 73 million, and income generated from big ray tourism is around $ 140 million annually. The estimated value of a single manta in its lifetime, in eco-tourism, reaches a million dollars in some parts of the world. Despite everything, the demand for gills continues to increase, and prices can reach 700 dollars per kilo! We easily understand why it is so difficult to protect them ...

A VERY SLOW REPRODUCTION

They are only protected locally in a dozen countries around the world, and in fact do not benefit from any protection during their migrations, as soon as they are in international waters. Many populations are therefore currently in a phase of rapid decline. Especially since, as recalled by Dr Andrea Marshall, director of the Megafauna Marine Foundation and main author of the evaluation report presented to the IUCN, females only carry one young every two or three years. They are among the least fertile of all elasmobranch species, and are therefore particularly vulnerable to human pressure. “Unregulated fishing that does not obey sustainable development principles,” he continues, “can quickly wipe out entire populations. Those of us who study wild populations of manta rays are seeing substantial declines in their numbers all over the world. It is a real and urgent problem. The Marine Megafauna Foundation congratulates Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador for this timely proposal, ”concludes Dr Marshall.

 SUPPORT FROM ALL CONTINENTS

To effectively curb manta fishing, it remains essential that they be protected at the level of each country, and that the state of the populations be managed locally, but this CITES listing should make it possible to provide a framework for protection at the global level. , by limiting international trade. Inclusion in Appendix II of the list requires at a minimum that exports come from sustainably managed fisheries, which are not detrimental to the status of exploited wild populations. In addition to the countries that initially supported the project, many states in the European Union, as well as Australia, the United States, Mozambique and South Africa all took the floor to express their support for the proposal. . Host nation Thailand also expressed full support. A few days before, a director of the division of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, had publicly underlined the importance of manta rays for the tourist activity of the country related to diving.

MORE THAN 80% FAVORABLE VOICES

The manta protection proposal passed with 80,67% of the vote. “It's a fantastic move in the right direction,” said Dr Marshall. “As manta rays face significant threats around the world, there has been tremendous support and momentum for their conservation lately. Listing in CITES Appendix II is an important step towards our common goal of overall protection of these iconic species. ”
The international community also voted at the same time to protect five sharks threatened by overfishing: the oceanic white tip shark (longimane), three hammerhead sharks (scalloped, large and smooth) and the porbeagle shark.
Footnotes:

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora (www.cites.org) is an intergovernmental agreement signed by 178 country. It aims to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of wild animals or plants in their natural habitat.