Our mission

The Manta Foundation was established to meet an urgent conservation need: protecting manta rays, their relatives, and the critical habitats they depend on in Australian and global waters. Not only are manta rays huge, majestic, intelligent, and mysterious, they are also indicator species for ocean health.

Their food source, zooplankton, is highly sensitive to climatic changes, so observing manta ray movements and drivers of their movements can aid our understanding of broader oceanic conditions. Despite their ecological importance, manta rays face escalating threats from habitat degradation, climate change, and unsustainable fishing practices. With slow reproduction and highly migratory behaviours, their populations are especially vulnerable to decline. Without targeted, science-led intervention, their future is uncertain.

Built on the proven expertise of the Manta Trust (the global body coordinating Manta Ray conservation and research) and Project Manta (Australia’s leading manta ray research initiative), the Manta Foundation bridges critical gaps between research, education, and on-the-ground conservation. We transform scientific knowledge into tangible protection outcomes.