The Role of Science in the Management of Biodiversity: A Case of Stingrays (Dasyatidae) Research to Provide Basic Data for Aquatic Fauna Conservation in South Sumatra

Abstract

The study of fish diversity had been reported accross the South Sumatran waters, but the study focus on stingrays (family Dasyatidae) were very limited. In general, many stingrays species face high level of direct exploitation. A recent study to provide valid checklist of stingrays in South Sumatran waters found 14 species: Brevitrygon heterura, Fluvitrygon kittipongi, Fluvitrygon oxyrhyncha, Fluvitrygon signifier, Fluvitrygon sp 'musi' 1, Fluvitrygon sp 'musi' 2, Himantura undulata, Himantura uarnak, Maculabatis gerrardi, Pateobatis fai, Pateobatis uarnacoides, Pastinachus ater, Telatrygon biasa and Urogymnus polylepis. Following IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List status 2018, ten species of stingrays are threatened, with four species as Endangered, five species as Vulnerable and one species as Data Deficient. These findings suggest the South Sumatran waters are important habitat for stingrays in Indonesia, and immediate conservation actions plan is needed. In this paper, we demonstrate the role of science in biodiversity management with stingrays (Dasyatidae, an iconic group of rare and threatened fishes) as study case.1.