Journal Article
Critical habitats for sharks and rays in Asia remain largely unprotected
Adriana Gonzalez-Pestana; Peter M. Kyne; Emiliano García-Rodríguez; Ryan Charles; Vanessa Bettcher Brito; Asia O. Armstrong; Amanda Batlle-Morera; Marta D. Palacios; Christoph A. Rohner; Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara; Jo Marie V. Acebes; Serena Adam; Ariana S. Agustines; Faqih Akbar Alghozali; Chethana L. Amadoru; Rohani Ambo-Rappe; Maria Theresa R. Aquino; Gonzalo Araujo; Janis Argeswara; Bella Riskyta Arinda; Sirachai Arunrugstichai; Elisabeth Astari; Lisa-Marie Auditore; Avik Banerjee; Clare M. Baranowski; Alissa J. Barnes; Calvin S. Beale; Sweta Beura; Jessica-Anne Blakeway; Titus E. Cañete; Nantarika Chansue; Andrew Chin; Supachok Chittapisan; Metavee Chuangcharoendee; Fung Chen Chung; Thilini Dilrukshi; Mareike Dornhege-Lazaroff; Christine L. Dudgeon; Mark V. Erdmann; Fahmi; Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur; Daniel Fernando; Keisuke Furumitsu; Anna L. Flam; Syamsidar Gaffar; Peter Gausmann; Ramajeyam Gobiraj; Michael I. Grant; Alifa B. Haque; Kojiro Hara; Simon T. Hilbourne; Kooi Chee Ho; Hua Hsun Hsu; Neil Hutchinson; Nesha K. Ichida; David M. P. Jacoby; Eswar S. Jarugulla; Divya Karnad; Bineesh Kinattumkara; Shoba Joe Kizhakudan; Alp Gokgoz; Muhammad Wiralaga Dwi Gustianto; Thanda Ko Gyi; Lavina; Chia-Yun J. Li; Eurida Liyana; Aaron Savio Lobo; Kirsty Magson; Petch Manopawitr; Catherine D. McCann; David A. McCann; Muktha Menon; Meira Mizrahi; Anil Mohapatra; Maizah Mohd Abdullah; Richard N. Muallil; Ryan Murray; Efin Muttaqin; Evan M. Nazareth; Anusha Neranjan; Raisa Noor; Budi Nugraha; Simon P. Oliver; Sue Andrey Ong; Alexei M. Orlov; Sharang Payyat; Nicolas J. Pilcher; Alessandro Ponzo; Prehadi; Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra; Van Quang Vo; Joshua Rambahiniarison; L. Remya; Akbar Reza; Subal Kumar Roul; Swatipriyanka Sen; Citra Septiani; Abraham B. Sianipar; Pascal Sebastian; Edy Setyawan; Mohammad Shamsuddoha; Rafid A. Shidqi; Benaya M. Simeon; Sitha Som; Serena J. Stean; Davies Austin Spiji; Dipani Sutaria; Akshay Tanna; Amy Y. H. Then; Sujitha Thomas; Nicholas J. Tolen; Micaela L. Trebol; Zoya Tyabji; Jean Asuncion T. Utzurrum; Stephanie K. Venables; Igor V. Volvenko; Christine A. Ward-Paige; Atsuko Yamaguchi; Arnel Yaptinchay; Ranny R. Yuneni; Jie Zhang; Fabienne Ziadi-Künzli; Masiat A. Zubair; Rima W. Jabado
Biodiversity and Conservation · Vol. 35, Issue 7 · 2026
Abstract
The Asia region harbors exceptional chondrichthyan (shark, ray, and chimaera) diversity but faces intense fishing pressure. The Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) process provides a collaborative, evidence-based framework to identify critical habitats and inform spatial management. We assessed ISRAs across the Bay of Bengal, Southeast Asia, and the Northwest Pacific to characterize their extent, ecological significance, and conservation relevance. We delineated 122 ISRAs spanning ~ 1 million km 2 (~ 3% of the region) across 12 jurisdictions and international waters, encompassing habitats for 121 species (~ 30% of Asia’s chondrichthyans), 76% of which are threatened. Depleted taxa (e.g., giant guitarfishes, Glaucostegidae) were represented, but charismatic megafauna (e.g., Whale Shark Rhincodon typus ) were overrepresented. In contrast, deepwater and freshwater species were underrepresented. Reproductive Areas were the most common ISRA sub-criterion applied (52% of ISRAs), largely in nearshore zones, while areas for range-restricted species were less frequently (18%) identified. Twelve ISRAs overlapped with biodiversity hotspots, including seven in areas of high overall chondrichthyan species richness and five in areas of high range-restricted species richness. Citizen science was the predominant research method used to delineate ISRAs, while fisheries data were underused despite the region’s major fisheries footprint. Geographic coverage was uneven: Indonesia held the most ISRAs (n = 40; 71.7% of ISRA coverage) while eight jurisdictions (e.g., Viet Nam, China, Republic of Korea) lacked ISRAs due to data gaps. Protection shortfalls are stark: MPAs cover