Humans of #TyphoonOdette - Jacky & Virginia Cuevas
“My grandkid told me “grandma, let’s leave now”, worried the strong winds would destroy the house. So we evacuated that very night… We didn’t wait too long to clean up whatever’s left of my house because it was everywhere. But we were only able to retrieve pillows, some blankets, and a few clothes.”…
Read MoreURGENT: Typhoon Odette Relief Fundraiser
We need your support NOW. The #Philippines is in a state of calamity after Super #TyphoonOdette (Rai). Entire communities have lost homes and livelihoods. Infrastructure and transportation links are devastated. Some have lost family members and many are at risk of losing lives as the situation deteriorates.
Read MoreMalaya the Manta celebrates #WorldMantaDay in style!
This is not how Malaya the manta thought she’d be spending the first-ever World Manta Day. She thought she’d be out and about mixing with the people and celebrating her species with the amazing communities she knows in the Philippines. But, COVID-19 happened, and well, we all know what that brought – social distancing – home offices, but she gets it, and she is happy to play her part to help curb the global pandemic….
Read MoreA Day for Rays: World Manta Day 2020
This September 17th 2020 is the first Wolrd Manta Day - a dedicated a day to celebrate these beautiful, enigmatic and vulnerable species. Let’s get mantas trending! #WorldMantaDay
Read MoreFirst record of whale sharks getting cleaned by cleaner wrasse in the Indo-West Pacific
Philippines. 20 August 2020, A new study by LAMAVE reports the first documentation of whale sharks being cleaned by two species of wrasse in the Indo-West Pacific: the blue-streak cleaner wrasse and the moon wrasse. Cleaner fish usually remove parasites, dead tissue and mucus from their ‘clients’ and play an essential role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems.
Read MoreEcotourism Transforms Attitudes to marine conservation
A study has shown how ecotourism in the Philippines has transformed people’s attitudes towards marine conservation. Researchers from LAMAVE and University of Victoria in Canada visited three sites where tourists pay to swim with whale sharks in the wild. They interviewed a range of locals who work for the tour operators in Oslob, Donsol and Pintuyan, including fishers and ex-whale shark hunters.
Read MoreAll LAMAVE field-based research projects are closed until further notice
In response to recent developments relating to Covid-19 and in following the orders from national and local government all LAMAVE field-based research projects are closed until further notice. We will continually reassess the situation as things develop and will post any further updates here.
Read MoreCollaborative efforts highlight the long-distance movements of whale sharks in the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion
The whale shark is a highly mobile species, broadly distributed, that can cross boundaries without anyone realising. A recent study in the Philippines highlighted the movement of whale sharks between one site in Palawan, and Malaysia and Indonesia. These results also highlighted the utility of the general public in collecting data for research programmes.
Read MoreLAMAVE and the Philippines Siren team up for sharks
This January we (LAMAVE) teamed up for a third time with Worldwide Dive and Sail to bring an exclusive trip around the Visayas, Philippines. This trip was designed to visit Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) project site in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, and sites where marine megafauna abound in Cebu, Bohol and Leyte islands…
Read MoreRony’s Company Call Fundrauses for LAMAVE!
Sunday, November 11, “Rony’s Company Call – A Stage Door to Christmas” set the stage for Christmas, with a night of music, dancing, Santa hats and bubbles, all in support of LAMAVE!
Read MoreEcology: Sharks under threat from fisheries
A new study published in Nature, International Journal of Science revealed that around one quarter of the habitats of oceanic sharks fall within active fishing zones, which may threaten these iconic ocean predators. The study spearheaded by David Sims and colleagues, brought together 1500+ satellite tracks globally from 150 scientists, including LAMAVE, and demonstrates an urgent need for conservation efforts to protect pelagic sharks, which reported to be in decline.
Read MoreTravelling off the beaten track in search of Manta Rays
LAMAVE has been studying rays in the Philippines since 2012, initially in Bohol but more recently in Masbate, where an underwater seamount is proving to be one of the most important sites for manta rays in the country…
Read MoreWomen in Conservation: Research, Science, Sustainability, Empowerment
In celebration of Womens Month, we turn to the passionate, strong women leading some of LAMAVEs research and conservation projects across the Philippines. We ask what drives them and hear their take on scientific research and what motivates them to pursue conservation goals in the heart of the coral triangle…
Read MoreLAMAVE and the Philippine Siren team up again for an expedition of diving and whale sharks!
This January we teamed up for a second time with Worldwide Dive and Sail to bring an exclusive trip around the Visayas, Philippines. This trip was designed to visit Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) project site in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, and potential study sites for marine megafauna.
Read MoreSuccess for sharks! Incredible numbers of reef sharks found in Philippine Marine Protected Area
Scientists from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) and Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) have found incredibly high numbers of reefs sharks in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), Philippines. The numbers are higher than most other marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world and highlight the importance of large…
Read MoreRUV Life
I was moments away from booking my long-awaited holiday to Sulawesi when I saw the call for volunteers for the pilot manta project at Manta Bowl on the LAMAVE facebook back in 2017. I dropped everything, sent an email straight away and intentionally didn’t even “Like” the post to avoid drawing more attention to it until I knew I had the spot. (Please don’t judge me :D). I knew instantly I wanted to be part of the project! I love nudibranchs but I LOVE mantas!
Read MoreNew study reveals the global biology of whale sharks
A new study explores how citizen science has contributed to our understanding of the basic biology and ecology of the whale shark on a global scale. The study led by Dr Brad Norman was a collaborative effort of 38 scientists, including LAMAVE Executive Directors Dr Alessandro Ponzo and Gonzalo Araujo, as well as David David and Elson Aca from WWF-Philippines.
Read MoreMeet the LAMAVE Scholars- TG Bonjuana Canal
Meet our scholars! Each LAMAVE research project has at least one Filipino Scholar who is sponsored to join our team. These are our amazing LAMAVE Scholars! Our latest scholar is TG Bonjuana Cañal who has just finished her placement with our whale shark research team in Northern Mindanao. Here’s what the Filipina conservationist had to share with us…
Read MoreWhat do mantas eat? Our new paper reveals an insight into the food habits of mobulid rays.
We are delighted to announce a second publication this week: Trophic overlap in mobulid rays: insights from stable isotope analysis.
Read MoreFeeding the world largest fish: impact of provisioning on whale shark presence and migration
A new paper from the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines and the Centre for Integrative Ecology of Deakin University in Australia describes the effect of provisioning (attracting wildlife with food to facilitate human interaction) on the presence and migratory behaviour of the whale shark in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.
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