DNA insights could help protect manta rays
Written by: Katie Smith and Inês Crespo
Researchers provide evidence for a potential new manta ray species and suggest improvements to conservation approach.
Further support for a potential new species of manta ray in the Gulf of Mexico has been uncovered by a global genetic study.
Read MoreHand-feeding of endangered whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu changes diving behaviour and raises concerns over implications to their health
Philippines, 13 October 2020, A new study published in Scientific Reports finds that resident whale sharks have changed their diving behaviour in response to the hand-feeding activities (provisioning) used to attract the animals in the waters of barangay Tan-Awan, Oslob, Cebu, to allow tourism interaction. The study further investigates how these changes could have implications on the bioenergetics (flow and transformation of energy) of individual whale sharks frequently visiting the mass tourism site.
Read MoreSocial media is helping scientists put the rare and endangered ornate eagle ray on the world map
The Philippines, 9 October 2020, A new study has expanded the known distribution of the elusive ornate eagle ray by sourcing photographs from popular social media platforms. This citizen science‐sourced data shared by the public and analysed by scientists are contributing to the understanding of the vulnerability of this species, while also creating opportunities for conservation.
Read MoreLack of management intervention leads to increased injuries on endangered whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines
Oslob Cebu, 8 October 2020. A new study published by LAMAVE in the journal Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems this week, present the results of some of the work conducted since 2012 to assess the impacts of tourism activities on individual whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu
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 MoreProject Meraki - an art fundraiser for our oceans
Project Meraki is an art fundraiser by Stephanie Loy to support the conservation projects of the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) to protect endangered marine species and their habitats in the Philippines. The online art auction will run between August 30 - September 5 2020, with 70% of each painting sold donated to LAMAVE.
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 MoreFirst-of-its-kind Global Survey Reveals Sharks are depleted in the Philippines
Overall results indicate sharks are functionally extinct on many of the world’s reefs but hope remains if key conservation measures are employed.
Philippines, July 22, 2020 – A new landmark study published today in Nature by Global FinPrint reveals sharks are virtually absent on many of the world’s coral reefs, indicating they are too rare to fulfil their normal role in the ecosystem, otherwise referred to as “functionally extinct.”
Read MoreConservation in the time of COVID-19
It’s been 128 days since our team felt the ebb and flow of the Philippine seas, the taste of saltwater in our snorkels and the occasional stinger on our cheek. As individuals deeply connected to the sea, it’s been tough being “dry docked” but it’s also been an important time for us as an organisation…
Read MoreFrom a microbial to an environmental lens
a moment of reflection by Jia Dollano
We interact with the micro- and megafauna found on this planet certainly every second of our lives. We build things, we destroy things, we truly dominate. But we dwell with the environment and it is unfortunate that we only know little about it….
Read MoreCitizen Scientists Help Identify 1,272 Marine Turtles in the Philippines
Divers and snorkelers have helped identify 1,272 endangered Green (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) across the Philippines, simply by sharing their photographs. By doing so they’ve become what is known as citizen scientists.
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 MoreControlling a whale shark mass tourism destination: new study investigates crowding and tourist expectations
A new scientific study by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) and the University of Victoria (Canada) reveals that overcrowding is a significant issue for Oslob whale shark watching tours. The study presents management interventions aimed at improving the tourist experience and recommends reducing tourist numbers to 500 daily visitors….
Read MoreLAMAVE’s position on emerging whale shark tourism in Bohol
Whale shark tourism activities have emerged from Lila and Baclayon, Bohol where whale sharks are or were provisioned to facilitate tourism interactions. In line with the Philippines commitment to lead and promote sustainable tourism across South East Asia (UNEP/CMS/CoP12/doc.26.2.7), as well as the Vision and Mission of the Province of Bohol, where the province is an eco-cultural tourism destination committed to sound environmental management, LAMAVE does not support these initiatives.
Read MoreWhale sharks: what science reveals
We round up eight years of LAMAVE’s research on the iconic whale shark. The whale shark – also called butanding, tuki, tiki tiki, tawiki in local dialects - is a national icon of the Philippines. As we reach the end of 2019 and almost 8 years since LAMAVE first started studying whale sharks in the Philippines, we round up what we have learnt about these incredible sharks…
Read MoreHow lasers and photographs are helping scientists study endangered turtles in the Philippines
One of the challenges for conservation biologists is how to collect information in the most minimally invasive way they can to minimise disturbance. A recent study by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines used cameras and lasers to study population and growth rates of green turtles from a distance…
Read More
