![]() Two years later, the Indonesian government declared the reef and giant manta rays nationally protected species. In 2012, the area was announced as Southeast Asia’s first shark and ray sanctuary. Ray conservation efforts in Raja Ampat began in earnest in 2007, when the local government and other stakeholders began to implement a series of marine protected areas (MPAs) across the islands. A new study led by University of Auckland doctoral candidate Edy Setyawan heralds more good news for Indonesia’s manta rays and highlights how the country’s conservation efforts have established a safe haven for reef and giant manta rays ( Mobula birostris) in the Raja Ampat Islands. In May 2022, researchers announced they had identified an aggregation of nearly 1,100 reef manta rays in Komodo National Park, likely catapulting the park’s waters into the list of top locations for mantas in the world. But a new study of reef manta rays in eastern Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago, combined with an exciting discovery from Komodo National Park further west earlier this year, suggests reef mantas are following a different - and more encouraging - trajectory in the Southeast Asian country’s waters. Ocean-dwelling sharks and rays, including the majestic reef manta ray ( Mobula alfredi), have declined globally by an estimated 71% since 1970 due to fishing.
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