ISRA FACTSHEETS
ISRA FACTSHEETS
ISRA FACTSHEETS
Praia Vermelha
Praia Vermelha is located in southeast Brazil. The area sits in a transitional zone between the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay and supports high primary productivity. It is characterised by a sandy substrate interspersed with rocky outcropping. Within this area there are: threatened species and range-restricted species (Groovebelly Stingray Dasyatis hypostigma).
Praia Vermelha
Praia Vermelha is located in southeast Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro state. The area sits in a transitional zone between the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay. This positioning results in a significant inflow of organic matter, which supports high primary productivity (Chaves et al. 2018). The area is characterised by a sandy substrate interspersed with rocky outcroppings, providing structural habitat diversity. These static features, combined with dynamic environmental conditions such as tidal currents and upwelling events, can create a productive ecosystem (Silva et al. 2022). The interaction between oceanic waters and organic inputs from the bay shapes the ecological dynamics of the area (Franco & dos Santos 2018).
This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and is delineated from the surface (0 m) to 30 m based on the depth range of the Qualifying Species in the area.
CRITERION A
One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Endangered Groovebelly Stingray (Pollom et al. 2020).
CRITERION B
This area holds the regular presence of Groovebelly Stingray as a resident range-restricted species. This species has been recorded regularly from artisanal fisheries operating in the area and by divers between 2012–2025 (Amorim & Monteiro-Neto 2016; Araujo et al. 2020; N Araujo & R Gomes pers. obs. 2017–2024). From June 2012 to May 2013, artisanal fisheries operating in 15 locations in the Rio de Janeiro area were monitored, including nearby islands (Amorim & Monteiro-Neto 2016). Groovebelly Stingrays were recorded only in coastal locations including three locations inside Prai Vermelha. Between 2016–2019, fishing activities were monitored at Praia Vermelha, Itaipu (~7 km from the area), and Cabo Frío (~120 km from the area; Araujo et al. 2020). Of 54 surveys conducted, the Groovebelly Stingray was recorded in 26.6% of the fish landings observed at Praia Vermelha with 1–3 individuals recorded per landing event (Araujo 2021; NLF Araujo unpubl. data 2021). Of 35 individuals recorded in the three locations, 33 were observed in this area. Individuals were observed year-round with a higher presence between July–November (Araujo et al. 2020). Additionally, recreational divers report sightings of Groovebelly Stingrays at least once every three dives, with an approximate appearance rate of 33% during night dives (D Araujo, A Macau & M Rebouças pers. comm. 2022–2024). Sightings typically involve a single individual, with a maximum of 10 individuals recorded during a single dive (D Araujo pers. comm. 2024). This species occurs primarily in the South Brazil Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) and marginally in the East Brazil Shelf LME and the Patagonian Shelf LME.
SUBMIT A REQUEST
To make a request to download the ISRA Layer in either a GIS compatible Shapefile (.shp) or Google Earth compatible Keyhole Markup Language Zipped file (.kmz) please complete the following form. We will review your request and send the download details to you. We will endeavor to send you the requested files as soon as we can. However, please note that this is not an automated process, and before requests are responded to, they undergo internal review and authorization. As such, requests normally take 5–10 working days to process.
Should you have questions about the data or process, please do not hesitate to contact us.
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Accept settingsHide notification onlySettingsWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
Privacy Policy