Shark Conservation Fund (SCF)

?? Enhancing the conservation of reef sharks in Kenya ?? CORDIO East Africa is carrying out a study to map the nursery grounds of blacktip reef sharks ?? in the Watamu-Mida Creek area in Kenya, with funding from Shark Conservation Fund (SCF). ?? Earlier this year, with the help of shark expert Annabelle Brooks, and in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Clare Thouless and Diana Jepkoech captured and tagged ten juvenile blacktip reef sharks in Watamu. The sharks were fitted with acoustic tags, which will be monitored by an array of acoustic receivers throughout Watamu Marine Park and Mida Creek Reserve. We will be back to collect the preliminary tracking data in a month and the study will continue over the next few years to monitor their use of the nursery ground. This project will provide vital information and data about a critical nursery ground in Kenya. #sharksandrays #sharkconservation #marineconservation

Exciting news from Cabo Verde! ???? We’ve launched a campaign to support the creation of a new #MarineProtectedArea in Parda, #SalIsland — a crucial nursery for?lemon sharks. This #MPA will provide?legal protection?for these sharks and their habitat, filling a critical gap since?Cabo Verdean law does not currently safeguard this species. Protecting key ecosystems like this ensures biodiversity thrives in the long term. But conservation isn’t just about wildlife—it’s about people too. The MPA will also help sustain?local communities?who rely on?shark-watching tourism, ensuring they can continue benefiting from these incredible animals?while actively protecting them. ???? This work has been funded by Shark Conservation Fund (SCF) and the PPI - Programme de Petites Initiatives. A big thanks also to Régis L'Hostis for the amazing design!

Crown-of-thorn starfish populations are exploding, and devouring and devastating coral reefs. The cause of this population explosion? The loss of sharks. When sharks are present, smaller predatory fish stay close to the reef for safety, eating starfish and other benthic dwellers. However, with the loss of shark populations, these fish feel safe venturing out into open waters, shifting their eating habits and patterns, leaving populations of crown-of-thorn starfish unchecked. Research continues to reinforce the fact that sharks play critical, outsized, and invaluable roles in keeping marine ecosystems balanced and healthy. Healthy shark populations = healthy marine ecosystems. ???? With climate change, ocean warming, and human activity threatening our oceans, shark conservation is a powerful tool to protect the health and resilience of marine ecosystems. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/evsHbuBK Picture credit: Tomas Kotouc Infographic from linked study, Meekan, et al. 2025.

The Shark Conservation Fund is pleased to announce the opening of our 2025 Small Grants Program Request for Proposals. We are offering grants of up to $25,000 to support ocean policy projects aligned with our objectives: ?? Fisheries Management Reform ?? Preventing Extinctions ?? Identifying and Protecting Critical Habitats For more details, please visit the Request for Proposals announcement on our website: https://lnkd.in/dvKy-Axz Concept notes will be accepted until March 31, 2025. For additional inquiries, please contact our team at [email protected]. . . . ??: tswinner / Getty Images

With over 500 known species and hundreds of millions of years of evolution, sharks are one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet. They inhabit every ocean—from shallow coastal waters to the deep sea, from tropical reefs to the icy Arctic. Some are warm-blooded, others cold-blooded. Their incredible range of adaptations allows them to thrive in vastly different environments. Check out the comparison chart below to see just how diverse sharks can be! This diversity isn’t just remarkable—it’s essential. Sharks play vital, outsized roles across various marine ecosystems, helping to maintain balance, ocean health, and overall biodiversity. By safeguarding sharks, we’re doing more than just protecting one species; we’re protecting our ocean worldwide.?

#CITES?(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is a critical global treaty that regulates?the trade of endangered wildlife?to ensure it doesn’t threaten species’ survival.??? The #SharkConservationFund?is proud to support the important work Wildlife Conservation Society and partners are doing to turn CITES listings into concrete protections and management measures that are vital to safeguarding global shark and ray populations from overexploitation. Check out the key updates below, showing how the?CITES compliance process?is making significant progress and supporting?new proposed protections for endangered?sharks and rays! And kudos to Panama?????, Ecuador??????& the Maldives??????for?leading efforts to establish stronger protections for some of the most threatened?sharks & rays!

????????????: ????????????????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ?? ?????????? ???? ???? ????????????????????????? ??????????????? ??Marilles lidera #SARKO, un nuevo proyecto dedicado a la recuperación de tiburones y rayas en el Mediterráneo espa?ol. Tenemos 3 a?os por delante para conseguir 3 objetivos: 1?? ?????????????????? ???? ???????????????: con la declaración de diversas?#ISRA?(Important Shark and Rays Areas) Espacios Marinos Protegidos.?? 2?? ?????????????? ???? ?????????????? ???? ???? ??????????: con el fomento de la liberación de capturas accidentales por parte de pescadores.?? 3?? ???????????????? ??????? ???????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ?? ??????????: consiguiendo su inclusión de en el catálogo LESPRE del?Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico. ?? ?? Este proyecto es posible gracias a la financiación de?Shark Conservation Fund (SCF)?y al apoyo de expertos y expertas en conservación de elasmobranquios. ?? Más info: https://lnkd.in/dXfWRqGM English: ?? ??????????: ???????????????????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????????????????? ??????. ??A new project led by Marilles and dedicated to the conservation of sharks and rays, is born. #SARKO is a 3 years project with 3 main goals: 1?????????????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????????: with the declaration of different #ISRA (Important Shark and Rays Areas) as Marine Protected Areas. ?? 2?????????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ??????????????: by promoting the release of by-catch.?? 3???????????????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ??????????????: achieving their inclusion in the LESPRE catalogue of?Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico. ?? ??This project is made possible thanks to funding from Shark Conservation Fund (SCF) and the collaboration of experts in elasmobranch conservation. ?? More info: https://lnkd.in/dXfWRqGM IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (SSG)SUBMONàlex BartolíJaime Penadés SuayAnabel Colmenero GinésClaudio Barria #SARKO?#Elasmobranquios?#Elasmobranch?#sharkandrays?#marineconservation?#ISRA #SARKO

Sharks, especially apex predators, play a vital role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, global shark and ray populations are facing steep declines, disrupting ecosystem balance, biodiversity, and overall ocean health. The Shark Biodiversity Initiative (SBI) addresses this urgent challenge by prioritizing key shark and ray habitats within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and other spatial conservation efforts. By targeting these critical habitats, the SBI is driving efforts to reverse shark and ray population declines while addressing the broader global biodiversity crisis. When shark-specific management measures are implemented, and these areas are effectively protected, they become powerful tools for restoring marine biodiversity and fostering healthier, more resilient ocean ecosystems worldwide. ?? Through SBI, #SharkConservationFund is supporting 19 projects that will establish 37 new protected or conserved areas for sharks and rays. Stay tuned as we continue to make progress in 2025! Learn more about SBI: https://bit.ly/3SjVfSZ ??: Jonas Gruhlke

New #SharkConservationFund-supported research reveals that mobulid rays, including #manta rays and devil rays, are among the most endangered elasmobranchs due to overfishing driven by demand for their meat and gill plates. Similar to the shark fin trade, identifying the sources of supply and demand is essential to addressing these challenges. While manta and devil rays are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which requires sustainable trade practices, population trends are still declining. Urgent action is needed to improve fisheries management, strengthen enforcement, and ensure adequate protections for these increasingly vulnerable species. Read the full study here: https://bit.ly/3P3mxLr

?? New Red List Index underscores the critical importance of protecting sharks and rays—and the alarming consequences of their rapid decline. The Shark Conservation Fund (SCF) is proud to be a supporter of two groundbreaking studies that, together, paint a clear picture of the vital role sharks and rays play in the health of marine ecosystems and the urgency to safeguard them. The Ecological Role of Sharks (EROS) study highlighted how sharks and rays act as ‘ecosystem architects’, influencing other species and shaping entire ecosystems. The larger sharks of some of the biggest species, e.g., tiger sharks and great whites, play oversized roles, in helping to maintain healthy seagrass ecosystems which enhances resilience to extreme climate events. ?? https://lnkd.in/dcaW-9Sw Now, the Red List Index analysis reinforces and expands on these findings, revealing just how much is at stake. Over the past 50 years, shark and ray populations have halved, with significant losses among large and medium sized species, identified by EROS as some of the most ecologically important. Equally concerning, the analysis shows a 22% reduction in ecological functions provided by sharks and rays – critical roles that sustain the health, balance, and biodiversity of marine ecosystems. ?? https://lnkd.in/eH5xrsCQ The findings of these studies deliver an urgent message: without immediate action to protect sharks and rays, the health of our ocean—and all who depend on it—is at risk. To address this crisis, we must strengthen governance and fisheries management, protect key habitats that are vital to sharks and rays, and implement conservation strategies that prioritize sharks’ and rays’ ecological functions alongside overall population recovery. SCF remains committed to our mission to reverse the decline of #shark and #ray populations through strategic, collaborative, and catalytic grantmaking. Decline animations credit to Colin Simpfendorfer.