We are a group of second year Marine Biology students at the University of Plymouth. We have been lucky enough to be a part of the Ocean Giants Programme, run by the university. As a part of this programme, we are raising money for the Manta Trust, and more specifically to their RahVeshi Project, run as a part of their Maldives Manta Conservation Programme.

The Manta Trust are a charity that work on conserving Manta and Devil rays through collaboration, research, and education. The RahVeshi initiative establishes long-term, locally driven research and outreach programmes to protect the natural resources of the Maldives, all by improving ecosystem-based resilience. They run projects in local schools, getting young people involved in hands-on conservation of local populations of Manta and Devil rays. The Maldives hosts the largest population of reef manta rays, and the third largest population of oceanic manta rays in the world. They face threats such as fishing gear entanglement, unsustainable tourism, and habitat degredation. As threatened species, the work that the Manta Trust and their RahVeshi Project complete is so important in conserving these species.

As a part of our fundraising, we will be running some events, so keep your eyes peeled for more information in the coming weeks.

For more information, and for ways you can also help in your day-to-day lives, visit:

https://www.maldivesmantaconservation.org

https://www.mantatrust.org

Thank you for your help!

Chloe, Thalia, Alex and Flinn