Dr. Alifa Bintha Haque is a marine biologist and ethno-conservationist focused on conserving sharks and rays in the global south context. Her research covers sustainable fisheries, diversity and trade, with a special emphasis on relationships with local fishers and traders, empowering them to innovate and create sustainable approaches to conserve threatened sharks and rays in the Bay of Bengal. Her work is being integrated into the National Plan of Action for Sharks and rays – Bangladesh as part of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s International Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Sharks.  This research, which explores the ecological, social, and political challenges and opportunities for implementing a more inclusive management regime for sharks and rays in Bangladesh, contributes to developing a unified sustainability model for developing countries that embraces baselines and incorporates socio-ecological perspectives in management decision-making.

Born: 1989

Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Education: Ph.D. in Biology

Occupation: Assistant professor

Expeditions: Bay of Bengal

Favorite Place: By the side of any vast water body

Best Discovery: 15 new records of sharks and rays for Bangladesh and potential nursery grounds for Critically Endangered rays

Favorite Item In The Field: My scarf

Personal Heroes: Sylvia Earle, Krithi Karanth, and my mother

Hobbies: Listening to music, sit by myself and think, gardening (a little)

Website: https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/alifa-bintha-haque

Advice: Keep at it, there is nothing that can stop you if you have done the hard work; nothing at all.