Giving Compass' Take:

Trang Chu Minh explores how nonprofits created a manta ray sanctuary through community-based efforts that offered alternative livelihoods to over fishing.

• What can philanthropists learn from this example when creating a sustainable, community involved solutions?

• Read about why community-based support is crucial to increasing equity.


By combining community-based enforcement and sustainable livelihood development, a coalition of NGOs and government successfully cut manta ray catches by over 90% in what used to be the world’s largest manta ray hunting ground.

The remote community of Lamakera in Eastern Flores, Indonesia is home to the world’s largest manta ray fishery. Fishermen have for centuries hunted manta rays as a source of food and to trade for other necessities with neighboring villages. The residents of Lamakera rely on the sea for their livelihood due to the infertile nature of their land, which makes agricultural activity infinitely challenging.

During the late 1990s, however, a sudden burst in demand for manta gill plates, mainly from China, catapulted the small-scale, subsistence fishery, which served local consumption only, into a commercial hub for international gill plate trade.

Unlike many other fish species, manta rays are a curious and social breed, often found to interact with humans underwater, which makes them particularly popular among divers and snorkelers.

Their life expectancy can reach up to 50 years, which puts the economic value of a living manta to an average of US$1 million, based on the estimated revenue brought in from manta dives and snorkel trips, as well as associated tourism spends in manta watching tourism hotspots.

In contrast, fishermen in Lamakera might fetch around US$3-400 for every manta caught.

In 2014, Indonesia’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries enacted an unprecedented ban on the hunting, sale and trade of manta rays. The regulation prompted a coalition of local government agencies and NGOs, including the Misool Foundation, Reef Check, the Indonesian Manta Project, Blue Sphere Foundation and WildAid, to launch a community-based conservation project to promote sustainable fishing, and create alternative income streams for Lamakeran residents.

Read the full article about how conservation nonprofits transformed a fishery into a Manta Ray sanctuary by Trang Chu Minh at Cause Artist.