Indonesia halts mining in treasured islands

A jewel of the “Coral Triangle” just got a reprieve as Indonesia announced it revoked the mining permits of four companies operating in one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth.

June 11, 2025

Study: Mining could disrupt manta ‘superhighway’

There’s only one place on Earth where reef manta rays are truly thriving. A new study finds that this manta haven is even more special — and threatened — than previously thought.

May 30, 2024

New study shows where manta rays thrive

Targeted for their gill plates and trapped accidentally in fishing nets, reef manta rays are in trouble; their populations around the world are plummeting. But in one protected area off the coast of Indonesia, the rays are not only bucking worldwide trends – they’re thriving.

December 2, 2022

A ‘manta ray ruler’ could help protect these gentle giants

A new technique for measuring manta rays could offer critical insights into their health, reproductive status, lifespans and whether a population is growing or shrinking.

March 4, 2022

Study: Aerial drones capture manta ray behaviors in thriving population

Conservation News spoke to a manta ray expert at Conservation International about the findings of his new research — from promising pregnancies to drone discoveries to acrobatic feeding behaviors.

April 1, 2021

New science: saving life on land, record-breaking rays, freshwater action plan

Here’s a roundup of recent science published by Conservation International experts.

April 16, 2020

Meet a scientist: a species-discovering savant

Conservation News spoke with Conservation International's Mark Erdmann about his job as a marine biologist, where he spends almost as much time underwater discovering new species as he does helping communities above ground conserve them.

March 25, 2020