World's first-ever best-practice guide for responsible shark and ray tourism released
Project AWARE®, WWF and The Manta Trust are pleased to release Responsible Shark and Ray Tourism: A Guide to Best Practice, the world’s first-ever guidelines for shark and ray tourism operators.
World's first-ever best-practice guide for responsible shark and ray tourism released
Hong Kong – This World Wildlife Day, March 3, Project AWARE®, WWF and The Manta Trust are pleased to release Responsible Shark and Ray Tourism: A Guide to Best Practice, the world’s first-ever guidelines for shark and ray tourism operators. The Guide aims to provide practical, science-based guidance to help tourism operators, NGOs and local communities develop and maintain well managed tourism operations that help conserve shark and ray species, raise awareness for their protection, and benefit local communities.
Unsustainable exploitation of sharks and rays – mainly driven by overfishing – is widespread with one in four shark and ray species now threatened with an increased risk of extinction. Yet across the globe, shark and ray tourism is increasing in popularity. Currently, around 400 well-established tourism operations focus on interacting with species of sharks and rays, and it’s estimated that this number could more than double over the next twenty years, generating over 780 million USD in expenditures around the world.
Dr Andy Cornish, WWF says, “Shark and ray focused ecotourism has great potential as a conservation strategy. If properly designed and managed, it can provide alternative direct and indirect economic benefits to local communities and economies. Yet sadly there’s limited practical guidance out there.”
Industry, researchers, authorities and the non-profit community largely agree that best-practice guidance is urgently needed to ensure that tourism sites are established and operated in a manner that benefits sharks and rays, and local communities, while also inspiring awe, respect and a greater appreciation of the need to conserve these animals.
Isabel Ender, Manta Trust, adds, “Lack of best practice guidance can often leave operators confused about how to assess the impact and improve the sustainability of their operation. We sought advice from scientists and the industry to help bridge that gap and deliver a best practice guide – the first of its kind in the world.”
To support operators seeking to commit to best practice, a full suite of free, downloadable tools is available on all of the organizations’ websites.
“We’re excited to launch the guidance on this United Nations, World Wildlife Day,” adds Ania Budziak, Project AWARE. “Operators now have access to the latest science based guidance and practical, hands on tools like performance scorecards and checklists. We’re looking forward to helping local communities lead the transformation to responsible shark and ray focused tourism around the world.”
ENDS
Note to Editors: For further information or to download any of the tools visit Project AWARE, WWF and The Manta Trust websites. The Guide can be found here: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/sharks/responsible_tourism/
If you would like to arrange an interview or need images please contact:
Dr. Andy Cornish, WWF Shark and Ray Initiative Leader, WWF-Hong Kong, phone: +852 9644 7002
andycornish@wwf.org.hk
Parker Robinson, Communications Support, WWF-Hong Kong, phone: +852 9409 1616
park.robinson@gmail.com
Related News
Discovery of new shark species highlights need to protect Belize waters
The discovery of a new shark species in Belize waters comes as a reminder of the need to protect the waters around the Central American country, home to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve system, the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere.
Read more
Ever wondered how to dive responsibly with sharks and rays?
By Ian Campbell
Even though I have logged too many dives to keep count, almost none of them have been for recreation. In my early diving days as a commercial diver, not a single dive was with the animals that had drawn me to study marine biology in the first place: sharks.
Read more
Protecting ocean predators
By Andy Cornish
Recent research on global shark and ray landings highlighted Sri Lanka among several countries that have suffered the greatest declines over the last decade. Reading the findings caused me to cast my mind back to my own experience in that country almost exactly a year ago.
Read more