Identifying and Communicating the Ecological Importance of Sharks

Sharks are thought to be critically important to maintaining healthy oceans.  Understanding how rapid declines in shark populations is changing ecosystems is critical to ensuring proper management of ecosystems and the long-term sustainability of ecosystems and the people that rely on them.  It is also important for prioritizing conservation efforts to protect and restore the most ecologically important species.  In this project, we will bring together scientists from around the world to bring to use new global-scale datasets to determine when sharks matter, why they matter, and how best to restore their populations to ensure healthy ocean ecosystems.  The project will develop a communication campaign to bring the latest information to decision makers and the public.