Sami ULLAH MAJEED

Sami Ullah Majeed has been a Park Ranger at Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, since 2014. The 220 km² reserve is internationally recognized as a Ramsar Wetland, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and Important Bird Area. Over the past decade, Sami has gained extensive field-based experience in wildlife monitoring, with a focus on camera trap research, SMART conservation, and habitat monitoring using drones. He contributed to the successful UNESCO Biosphere Reserve nomination of the park in 2018 and continues to support its ongoing World Heritage nomination process.

Much of Sami’s knowledge has come from learning directly in the field, spending long hours alongside researchers and steadily developing skills through practice. His primary focus is the study of owls, and he now leads the park’s owl conservation and monitoring program under the Fujairah Environment Authority. Together with his team, he has documented seven of the nine owl species recorded in the UAE, including the rare Omani Owl. His work has resulted in several significant records, such as the first daytime sighting of the Arabian Spotted Eagle Owl in the UAE (2020) and the only confirmed visual records of the Omani Owl in the country (2021).

Building on years of dedication to owl monitoring, Sami later became a grant recipient of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. This support enabled him to expand conservation efforts for the Omani Owl, including extensive night surveys—often covering up to 20 km in a single night—using both acoustic and camera techniques. These efforts have strengthened knowledge and raised awareness of one of the most elusive and threatened species in the region.