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Conserving Reef Manta Rays
(Manta alfredi) in the Maldives

Hanifaru Bay A study case
Manta Rays
Largest Ever Recorded Manta:
Width = 6.8m (22ft) & Weight = 2,000kg
Cartilaginous Elasmobranchs
Oceanic Manta Ray Manta birostris
Reef Manta Ray
Manta alfredi
Conservative Life History Strategies
Feeding Behaviour
Chain Feeding
Mass Feeding
Huge mouths and gills lter
zooplankton from the water column
Planktonic Soup
Manta Cleaning Stations
Blue-streaked
Cleaner Wrasse
(Labroides
dimidiatus)
Cleaner sh remove
parasites
Cleaning stations are
important focal locations
for social behaviour,
including mating
Manta Reproduction
Internal fertilization
occurs after elaborate
courtship
Sexual
Dimorphism
Mating
Train
Copulation
Manta Reproduction
Females Mating
Scars
Females give birth to just one
(1.5-2m), fully independent pup
after a year long gestation
Manta
Foetus
Threats to Mobulid Rays
Tuna Purse-
Seine Net
Fisheries
By-Catch
Shark
Fishing Nets
Gill Nets
Mooring Buoys
Gill Nets
Manta Fisheries
Africa
Manta & Mobula Ray sheries
around the world are decimating
populations
Mexico
Indonesia
Sri Lanka
Gill Plate Trade
WHY?? New demand
from Asia for the
mantas dried gill
plates used in
traditional medicines
Legislation & Protection
Some countries have taken their own
steps to protect manta rays -
In Feb 2014 manta rays became fully
protected in Indonesia and in the
Maldives there has been an export ban
on all rays since 1995 to prevents any
form of commercial sheries
In 2011 manta rays were upgraded to
Vulnerable status on the IUCNs RED List
of Threatened Species
In Nov 2011 signatory nations to the
Convention on Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (CMS) agreed to list the giant oceanic
manta ray (M.birostris) under CMSAppendix I
and Appendix II and in 2013 both manta
species were added to Appendix II of CITES
Tourism in the Maldives
3500km
2
coral reefs,
1,110 species of sh,
250 species of coral,
globally important
populations of manta
rays and whale
sharks
In 2013 over 1 million
tourists visit this tiny
island nation

Tourism = 27% of
GDP (67% if
secondary services
are included)
Manta Tourism
Through tourism, manta rays
generate US$8.1 million in
direct revenue for the
Maldivian economy each
year. Globally this gure is
US$140 million
Photo-ID & Sightings Database
Each individual manta has a unique
pattern of spots on its ventral surface,
just like a ngerprint
Sighting records and identication
database; ID number, sex, maturity,
injuries, etc.
Total: Over 25,000 conrmed photo-
ID sightings of 3,300 different
individual from 2005-2014
Hanifaru; 12,289 conrmed
sightings of 1,379 different
individuals from 2007-2014
Research
Population Size & Structure

Reproductive Strategies &
Population Fecundity

Feeding & Reproductive
Behaviours

29
4
27
18
10
0 0 0
1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
% Pregnant
The average pregnancy rate
across all study years in the
entire population is just 10%
Impacts of Tourism
Maldivian Manta Population
- 98% of reef manta rays (Manta
alfredi)
- Resident population. Individuals
dont migrate outside the country.
- 3300 individuals identied by the
MMRP (largest manta database)
- National manta population estimated
to exceed 5-6000 individuals (largest
reef manta population of the world)
What is special about the Maldives?
The Southwest monsoon
(Hulehangu) runs from May-Nov
The Maldives experiences
two monsoons (seasons)
each year
The Northeast monsoon
(Iruvai) runs from Dec-April
The atolls act as a barrier
to oceanic currents,
creating nutrient upwelling
as a result of wake eddies
caused by the Island Mass
Effect
This results in
productivity blooms on
the leeward, down
current, side of the atolls
7(.8# 9',&+ 1(+'((+
Seasonal manta
migrations
Hanifaru Bay
A bay the size of a football
pitch which position and
morphology create the perfect
conditions for mass feeding
aggregations of manta rays.
Hanifaru Bay
The worlds best place to see massive
feeding aggregations of manta rays!
As many as 250 mantas rays & 4 whale
sharks together in an area the size of a
football pitch
Hanifaru Bay
The Baa Atoll Project (BAP)
In 2008 a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed by
all 6 resorts in Baa Atoll and a Code
of Conduct (CoC) & site use
guidelines were created by the BAP

In 2007 all of the
Atolls resorts and
dive operators came
together to form a
conservation
consortium to
protect the marine
life of Baa Atoll
Hanifaru Development
In 2007 plans were in the
making for Hanifaru to be
leased for private
development
In 2008 National Geographic
Magazine photographer
Thomas Peschak came to
document the manta research
in the Maldives and shoot a
feature story on the mantas of
Hanifaru Bay
The Power of Publicity
In July 2009 the National
Geographic magazine article was
published and on World Ocean Day
one month before the articles
publication Hanifaru was declared
a Marine Protected Area by the
Maldivian Government
Pressure from National
Geographic Magazine and
the Baa Atoll Project was
exerted upon the Maldivian
Government
Tourism Frenzy at Hanifaru
Many thousands of tourists
come each year especially to
see the manta rays and whale
sharks
With the recent exposure
this site has gained
through the National
Geographic Magazine,
BBC Natural World and
other documentaries and
magazine articles, tourism
levels at the site have
dramatically risen
Hanifaru generated an estimated
US$1,000,000 in direct revenue
for the Maldivian economy in
2010 & 2011
Studying tourism impact
Observed manta behaviours in response to
human interactions at feeding aggregations (%)
0.50
32.19
2.46
2.46
62.41
Approach
Avoidance
Dive avoidance
Flight
No response
Based on over 400 human-manta interactions
Accidental
obstruction
Chasing
Intention to touch/
contact
Splash/Fin kick
Diver bubbles
Diving under/near
Major causes of
disturbance
Studying tourism impact
Proportion of boats violating guidelines
whilst entering Hanifaru Bay
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Tourism levels at Hanifaru Bay
from 2007-2010
Tourism levels were nearly three times higher at Hanifaru in
2010 than they were in 2009 and continued to rise in 2011
This level of tourism was completely unsustainable! An
effective management plan to regulate this site was
therefore urgently needed
Management Plan
In 2009-10 a management plan
was created by the Maldivian
Ministry of Environment based on
work by MMRP & York MEM MSc
students

In July 2011 the nal management
plan was approved and turned
into protective legislation, with
enforcement by on-site rangers
from 2012 onwards

In 2012 these laws were gazzetted
to allow prosecution for those
breaking regulations with nes for
infringements
World Biosphere Reserve
In July 2011 the entirety of Baa Atoll was declared a
UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve with Hanifaru
Bay MPA a core zone within the reserve
In January 2012 SCUBA
diving was banned inside the
bay area of Hanifaru MPA
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Biosphere Reserves have
three key functions:
conservation, learning and
research, and sustainable
development
Framework for the Future
Management of all Maldivian MPAs
Baa Atoll: a world class model of
atoll ecosystem conservation where
sustainable use supports a
prosperous economy and good
quality of life for all, for ever for
replication across the Maldives!
Mission Accomplished?
If Only It Was So Easy!
Hanifaru has travelled a long way along the road to sustainability, but
there are still some large potholes to avoid if this site it to become more
than just another paper park
Real Penalties for offenders: There must be commitment to penalizing those
breaking the MPA regulations.

Enforcement by rangers & patrol vessel: Real protection means active onsite
management especially controlling visitor numbers.

Permit system to control tourist numbers: Financially huge potential in visitor
park entrance fees and/or boat permits to aid ongoing management.

Financially Viable: The Biosphere Reserve and Hanifaru must generate enough
funding to pay for their protection.

The local Baa Atoll community MUST benet directly from the MPAs:
Jobs, increased income, education, etc.
Continued Research
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Vulnerable Giants
With each mature female producing just one pup approximately once every 6-7
years, late maturity and giving birth to just a single pup, even small negative
pressures exerted upon a population, increasing mortality rates or reducing
fecundity, are likely to have severe consequences for the populations survival.

Understanding the life history of these species is critical for effective
conservation management, both within the Maldives and internationally,
especially in light of the growing threats to these species as a result of fisheries
which target the mantas gill plates to supply the medicinal trade in Asia.

This study also highlights the importance of long-term studies on species which
have conservative life history strategies.

The canary on the reef! Indicator species - Ocean acidification, global
climate change, weakened south Asian monsoon.

Sustainable Solutions
In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what
we understand [and] we will understand only what we are taught -
Baba Dioum
Science is the tool which enables governments to make informed management
decisions, but to truly conserve a species, or its habitat, there must first be the
desire to do so, the passion driven by empathy which arises from care,
understanding, and above all, knowledge.
Tourism has opened up many new
opportunities to exploit and profit from our
oceans, which in turn can and should be
used to protect them. And while tourism is
certainly less environmentally destructive
to our oceans than fishing, it none-the-less
still creates its own problems which need
to be addressed.
The Manta Trust
www.mantatrust.org
Conservation through Research, Awareness and Education
UK Registered Charity Number: (1145387)
Our Vision: A world where manta rays thrive within a globally
healthy marine ecosystem.

Our Mission: The Manta Trust works to advance the worldwide
conservation of manta rays and their habitat through
robust science and research, raising awareness,
providing education, inuence and action.
Projects: Currently The Manta Trust has projects in the Maldives,
Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Hawaii,
Philippines, Fiji, The Mariana Islands, Micronesia
(FSM), Malaysia, Seychelles, Palau, Chagos,
Peru & The Line Islands.
#
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Thank You!
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