Georgia Aquarium has a history of strength in marine research, especially for elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) and marine mammals. The establishment of a CSS at the Aquarium will strengthen efforts to translate this research into tangible species conservation outcomes. Staff at the Aquarium were intimately involved in the Global Shark Trends Project, which recently reassessed the Red List status of all extant sharks and rays. In light of this important work and the focus of other centers on Red List Assessments, an early focus will be more on conservation planning rather than assessments. The Aquarium will also focus on the Act part of the AssessPlan-Act cycle; it is a founding partner in the StAR Project, which seeks to restore vibrant populations of the zebra shark in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, as a model for ex-situ breeding of imperilled elasmobranchs.

Supporting the Species Conservation

While the CSS at Georgia Aquarium will have the capability to conduct Red List Assessments on marine species of interest, center staff will focus more on the Plan and Act parts of the Assess-Plan-Act cycle. The center will have a secondary focus on identifying areas of conservation interest for marine protected area advocacy and creation.

Meet our team