The Manta Trust
735. Guy Stevens
Dr Guy Stevens founded ‘The Manta Trust’, an organisation that promotes the conservation of manta rays and related species.
When he started working with mantas 10 years ago, there was little international protection for the animals, and Guy’s work has resulted in significant
conservation advances for manta populations. With projects in 22 countries, ‘The Manta Trust’ seeks to protect these species by creating sustainable fishing
patterns and supporting grassroots conservation projects with local officials, fishermen and other stakeholders. He has also successfully campaigned to include manta and mobula rays in key legislation aimed at restricting the international trade of endangered species. Guy and ‘The Manta Trust’ are renowned worldwide for their work in this field.
In a personal letter to Guy, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“You have campaigned for the protection of rays for over a decade, and your work at ‘The Manta Trust’ is helping to change the future of these species. You should be immensely proud of the progress you have made in ensuring their safety for years to come.”
Guy said:
“I’m thrilled to receive the Points of Light Award for my work raising awareness of the threats facing manta rays. Mantas are incredible animals; huge, graceful and very inquisitive, with the largest brain of any fish. Sadly, they are also extremely vulnerable, and are currently under grave threat from the fishing industry, so the Manta Trust’s research and work to protect them is more important than ever.”