BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Shark And Ray Research In India Has Low Relevance To Their Conservation

Following
This article is more than 2 years old.

There is no denying it: biodiversity is deteriorating at an alarming rate on our little blue planet. Humans rely on biodiversity for our very survival - our society depends on a myriad of ecosystem services such as the provision of food, fuel and clean water, nutrient cycling, pollination services and climate regulation. But, unsurprisingly, it’s human actions that are the primary cause of these huge declines worldwide, particularly in the ocean where overfishing is driving the greatest biodiversity loss. While conservation research has significantly increased in recent decades, this doesn’t mean these efforts necessarily translate to policy and practice. This is has been especially documented in the Global South; despite having some of the most biodiverse areas and largest human populations, research in these regions seldom meets the needs of conservation practice.

One example is India, which is one of the world’s 17 mega-biodiverse countries, yet the Indo-Burma hotspot has lost 95% of its vegetation area, according to the Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE) report entitled ‘State of India's Environment in Figures 2021.’ The country supports various ecosystems, including coastal and marine ecosystems that are made up of mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, seagrass, mudflats and lagoons, which occupy 7,516 sq. km, a continental shelf area of area 468,000 sq. km and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million sq. km.

These ecosystems are home to numerous marine species, including sharks, rays, and chimaeras (collectively called Chondrichthyans) which play critical ecological roles, are an important food source, and provide direct economic benefits (i.e. through the fisheries and tourism industries which employ about 16 million fishers). Bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, India has a high diversity of chondrichthyans in its waters (at least 155 species yet the number of sharks and rays reported in India has been shrinking; unfortunately, this is not surprising to scientists, as Chondrichthyans are one of the most threatened groups in the world with over a third of all known species currently threatened with extinction.

India also hosts one of the largest chondrichthyan fisheries globally, and has few policies and regulations making it one of the highest priority countries for the conservation of sharks and rays. The policies that currently exist include the protection of 10 species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA) in 2001, and the prohibition of shark fin exports in 2015. “[However,] these policies may not be entirely driven by scientific information; for instance, most of the 10 species protected under the WLPA are very rarely caught in fisheries, and a few of these species do not actually occur in Indian waters,” explain the authors of a new scientific paper that looks at the relevance and applicability of Chondrichthyan research in India to their conservation.

The researchers, led by scientist and PhD student Trisha Gupta of the University of Oxford, conducted a scoping review of scientific and grey literature across national and international databases and found a total of 482 revelant publications. It was found that the number of publications exponentially increased with time, yet less than 10% of studies addressing socio-economic and management themes in the country, with most of the literature dominated by short-term fisheries studies, biological records and observations. “I think this is one of the main issues for shark and ray conservation in India. Across all conservation issues globally, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the human aspects are as important as the ecological aspects, and social science research is now being mainstreamed into conservation science. This is the case for marine conservation in India as well,” explained Gupta. “Alongside understanding the ecology and biology of sharks and rays, we need to understand the human behaviours that are driving their fisheries. It’s also equally important to understand the impacts of any conservation measures on local communities, and develop solutions that are beneficial to both people and nature. Socio-economic research is critical for this, and is unfortunately lacking in India.”

An analysis of the publications also revealed research here was biased towards specific states (particularly Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and towards charismatic species (like the whale shark, Rhincodon typus) which the authors fear is leading to under-representation of potentially important regions and taxa.

“This is definitely a relatively easier issue to address. We need to start focusing research efforts towards the regions and taxa that are under-represented, which are mentioned in the paper,” said Gupta. “A good place to start with is students – there are so many enthusiastic students across the country who study lesser-known species for their dissertations or other projects, but this work never ends up being published or available anywhere. Supporting such student research is a great way to get more literature out on under-represented taxa and regions, as well as develop local capacity.”

The multidimensionality and complexity of biodiversity - and its decline - means there is no single measure that can comprehensively solve what is happening. However, Gupta and the other researchers hope that by identifying a number of critical gaps in chondrichthyan knowledge in India, they can start to make local conservation initiatives more effective. “For instance, an adapted productivity-sensitivity analysis was conducted in Indonesia to identify at-risk shark and ray species; priority sites for conservation were also identified. Similar assessments would be highly valuable in India,” the authors clarify. “Few studies in India have looked at the spatial ecology of chondrichthyans, with very few attempting to identify and characterise their critical habitats. Knowledge of habitat use and aggregation sites can aid in the formulation of nuanced, area-based conservation measures and [...] fisher knowledge (i.e. Local Ecological Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge) can [and has been] be a crucial source of information in resource and data-limited situations.” The researchers also go on to explain there need for a deeper understanding of the human dimensions of chondrichthyan fisheries to guide holistic management, as they form complex social ecological systems with important contributions to livelihoods and food security.

Perhaps India – as a party to the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – will take this advice as they work towards the ‘30 × 30’ global target that aims to protect and conserve 30% of the world’s terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. Currently, there are 25 marine protected areas in peninsular India and 107 marine protected areas in the country’s islands (making up approximately 27% of India’s geographical area according to the Sixth National Report). However, only 5% of coastal and marine areas are designated protected areas.

If implemented properly, by signing the 30 × 30 target India can not only help shift conservation into a new paradigm where local protection initiatives involve all stakeholders – including civil society, concerned citizens, businesses, scientists and local communities - but conserve her unique coastal and marine biodiversity.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website