in a country where the environment is very often sacrificed in the name of "business" finally we welcome good news that shows that in Indonesia there politicians more interested in the future of this great country that the desire to fill their pockets.
The district governor of West Manggarai and Komodo appointed a whole district of the marine and coastal waters as a shark and ray sanctuary manta (Decree DKPP Governor / 1309 / VIII / 2013) . Fishing is now prohibited for manta rays, sharks and other endangered species, such as turtles, dugongs and napoleons across 7,000 km2 of district waters that extend up to 12 nautical miles offshore. This announcement extends the management of existing storage within 1,000 km2 National Park Komodo marine habitats now encompass the entire district.
One of the main problems of marine reserves, particularly the larger ones, is the difficulty of patrolling and law enforcement. In this case, the prohibition of force can be implemented even directly from the earth, instead of costly patrol at sea. This should make it harder for criminals and smugglers to practice their trade.
Manta rays are listed as "vulnerable to extinction" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and they have been declared under the protection of CITES in March 2013, as well as some particularly overfished shark species. with females only produce two to three puppies every five years, slow reproductive cycles mean that the manta rays are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. the huge demand of the Chinese market, due to the legend that the gills of these animals have an action of "filtering toxins from the human body" is driving many manta populations to extinction.
"Our district of West Manggarai and Komodo is recognized as a destination world class marine tourism. by prohibiting fishing for these endangered species, we can ensure that they will remain for future generations to enjoy, "said Mr. Sebastinus Wantung, head of marine and fisheries Agency district.
The water around West Manggarai and Komodo is home to one of the richest marine biodiversity in the world, including more than 10 species of sharks, two skate species manta and an incredible diversity of marine and terrestrial wildlife. "Manta watching tourism is worth an estimated $ 15 million to the economy of Indonesia every year, and West Manggarai and Komodo is one of the top destinations. The chance to see a manta ray attracts divers world, "said Andrew Harvey, director of MantaWatch, an organization involved in manta ray studies and conservation projects in the world." I salute the leadership of visionary governor. This is a fantastic example of how local governments and the diving industry can work together to achieve positive effects for the environment and the economy. "
The West Manggarai and Komodo shark and manta ray sanctuary signals a growing trend toward government awareness in Indonesia of the significant economic value of these species, and the urgent need to improve the management. West Manggarai district is the second bold to create a shark and manta ray sanctuary, following the appointment of a sanctuary of 46,000 km2 in Raja Ampat in November 2012. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is working with scientists and NGOs to establish regulations that will grant National protected status to several species of sharks and rays threatened with extinction level.
Government of West Manggarai district MantaWatch and Komodo invited to provide technical and legal advice, and worked with more than 20 local dive centers to develop proposals for shark and manta ray sanctuary. Divers now help monitor the impacts of the sanctuary on the populations of species threatened by sharing their meetings on MantaTrax, a social web application developed by MantaWatch to promote open and participatory marine conservation.
See www.mantawatch.com for more information.