Ahmed Bahaa El-Din

Egyptian ornithologist who pioneered bird conservation in the Middle East through community engagement

Ahmed Bahaa El-Din is an Egyptian ornithologist and conservationist whose work has redefined bird protection in the Middle East. Born in 1975, he gained international recognition in the late 1990s for his efforts to protect migratory birds in the Red Sea Flyway. His 2000 establishment of the Egyptian Raptor Protection Program introduced the region's first systematic bird banding system. El-Din's innovative approach involved training local communities as citizen scientists, creating over 150 bird monitoring stations across Egypt. His 2005 discovery of the critically endangered Egyptian Vulture's migratory patterns led to international conservation agreements. El-Din's field guide "Birds of Egypt" remains the definitive reference for regional ornithology. His work with the WWF established the first bird-friendly power line designs in Africa. Despite limited media coverage, El-Din's methodologies have been adopted by conservation groups in Saudi Arabia and Iran. His research is frequently cited in Conservation Biology Journal and his conservation sites are featured on BirdLife International's global database. El-Din's contributions have tripled protected bird habitats in the region since 2000, though his name remains unfamiliar outside ornithological circles.