Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) – Identifying key habitats for sharks, rays, and chimaeras

Sharks, rays, and chimaeras (hereafter ‘sharks’) face a high risk of extinction. Populations of many species of sharks and rays have declined by over 70–90% in last few decades. Immediate action is required to halt population declines and allow for species recovery. Area-based measures are key for biodiversity conservation but commonly do not focus on sharks, and existing ones often fail to provide them adequate protection. Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework commits nations to conserving 30% of coastal and marine areas, “especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity”. With that in mind, the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) approach was developed to ensure sharks are considered and represented in conservation planning approaches. Since 2022, over 600 ISRAs have been delineated across six regions of the world. Analysis have now been undertaken to understand overlap with existing marine protected areas (MPAs), how ISRAs can be integrated into Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), and what fisheries management tools can be used at the site level. In several regions (e.g., Central and South American Pacific and Western Indian Ocean), existing MPAs overlap by less than 7% with ISRAs, highlighting poor MPA coverage for these species. Without management measures to reduce fisheries mortality, preventing further losses and species recovery will not be possible. As nations move towards achieving the 30x30 targets by expanding MPA coverage, it is critical that sharks and their important habitats are considered and incorporated in national marine spatial planning processes, guided by robust scientific data.