Scientists and other stakeholders have agreed to develop a species conservation action plan for the endangered giant freshwater stingray (Urogymnus polylepis) and associated ecosystems over the coming year.
The agreement in Phnom Penh last month followed a workshop on the species convened by the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Wonders of the Mekong project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The workshop followed a ceremony on Nov. 14 in which London-based Guinness World Records Ltd recognised the species – also known as the giant freshwater whipray – as the world’s largest freshwater fish
‘PATCHY DISTRIBUTION’
According to the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – which most recently assessed the stingray as endangered in 2021 – the species has a patchy distribution from northeast India to Southeast Asia including Indonesia, the Lower Mekong Basin and multiple rivers in Thailand.
In Cambodia, t
he population is estimated to have declined by at least 60 percent over 26 years. In Thailand, steep declines in catches have been reported from the early 1990s.
‘The species is subject to intensive historic and current fishing pressure and intensive habitat modification and degradation across its entire known range,’ the IUCN assessment says.
‘It has little refuge from these threats and drastic declines in fish diversity and declines in freshwater fisheries due to over-exploitation have also occurred in its range.’
PRIORITIES
Priorities for the action plan include mapping the occurrence and evaluating the current status of key giant stingray populations and habitats.
This will set baselines and indicators to assess future change, clarify taxonomic validation, assess habitats, and intensify research and monitoring to support future policy and conservation actions.
The plan also aims to identify critical habitats and river processes that sustain giant stingray populations.
Another priority is to enhance
the role of communities and resource users in conservation efforts with activities involving local people as ‘research partners, stewards of biodiversity, and champions of conservation.’
At the same time, the plan aims to ensure that land-use change – such as infrastructure, industry and rural development – is sensitive to the conservation needs of the stingray and its ecosystems and don’t adversely affect or fragment key populations or critical habitats.
REGIONAL COOPERATION
The plan envisages increased regional cooperation for conservation, especially in transboundary rivers, and strengthened capacity for conservation and management among government, civil society, and educational institutions.
It also aims to raise awareness about the value of the species and associated ecosystems among citizens and other stakeholders. These include local communities, primary and secondary schools, university students and researchers, governments, civil society, and the private sector.
‘ICONIC, IRREPLACEABLE AND UNIQU
E ANIMALS’
In a statement, the scientists and other stakeholders who took part in the workshop agreed that giant freshwater stingrays are ‘iconic, irreplaceable and unique animals and indicators of the health of the freshwater ecosystems where they occur.’
They also recognised that such rivers, lakes, and estuaries provide ‘essential eco-system services, including water supply, livelihoods, and habitat for wildlife and other biodiversity.’
The statement expressed concern about ‘increasing anthropogenic threats’ to the species as well as fresh-water biodiversity and aquatic ecosystem functions including connectivity, seasonality, water quality, and nutrient transport.
It called for ‘urgent collective action’ to conserve the species and safeguard healthy, connected freshwater habitats, and advanced integrated scientific research and monitoring to better understand distribution, population status and trends.
‘Conservation of giant freshwater stingrays must be achieved hand-in-hand with local people,’ the st
atement said, describing the effort as a ‘shared responsibility of all people, including government, civil society, and the private sector, working together locally, regionally, and internationally as partners.’
TWO PHASES
Under a first phase running to December 2024, work to develop the action plan is expected to include an assessment of the status, distribution and conservation issues affecting the stingray.
Pilot activities to address urgent conservation issues are expected to focus on population trend data.
These include surveys of landings, local knowledge and abundance of the species as well as links to conservation efforts for the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), found in the northern reaches of the Mekong in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.
In a possible second phase (depending on funding), further activities are envisaged from January 2025 to January 2028, to implement the action plan. The scientists and other stakeholders are expected to monitor, evaluate and re
view the effectiveness of the plan during this period.
Cambodia’s Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFReDI) – part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries – is expected to implement the plan with the Wonders of the Mekong team.
Dr. Heng Kong, the IFReDI director, said the four-year plan would focus on how to combine transboundary issues in the Lower Mekong countries and exchange scientific information on the distribution, population dynamics and reproductive biology of the giant stingray, allowing the species to be protected by sub-decree.
“Moreover, this plan will also consider other large bodied-species,” he said.
Text: Catch and Culture – Environment, December issue https://www.mrcmekong.org/news-and-events/newsletters/c-and-c-29-no3/
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse