Putting sharks on the map: A global standard for improving shark area-based conservation

Area-based conservation is essential to safeguard declining biodiversity. Several approaches have been developed for identifying networks of globally important areas based on the delineation sites or seascapes importance various elements biodiversity (e.g., birds, marine mammals). Sharks, rays, and chimaeras are facing a crisis with an estimated 37% species threatened extinction driven by overfishing. Yet spatial planning tools often fail consider habitat needs critical their survival. The Important Shark Ray Area (ISRA) approach proposed as response dire global status sharks, chimaeras. A set four standardized scientific criteria, seven sub-criteria, was input collated during shark, biodiversity, policy expert workshops conducted in 2022. ISRA Criteria provide framework identify discrete, three-dimensional portions one more ray, chimaera species, that potential be delineated managed conservation. can applied all environments where sharks occur (marine, estuarine, freshwater) diversity complex behaviors ecology, biological needs. identification ISRAs will guide development, design, application area-based initiatives chimaeras, contribute recovery.