Preferred class (Amphibian, Fish etc): Aves -Vertebrate Mammalia
Name of Chair: Ahmed bin Al-Khatei Al-Hashmi
Bio: Ahmed bin Al-Khataei Al-Hashmi is a Sultanite ornithologist and naturalist, as well is a prince. Sometimes referred to as the "birdman of Sultanate", Ahmed was among the first Sultanites to conduct systematic bird surveys across Sultanate and wrote several bird books that popularised ornithology in the Sultanate. He became a key figure behind the Bombay Natural History Society after 2005 and used his personal influence to garner government support for the organisation, create the Aurangabad bird sanctuary and prevent the destruction of what is now the Aurangabad Bastion of Nature Park. Along with Sharif Ali bin Al-Khataei Al-Hashmi, his brother he wrote the landmark ten volume Handbook of the Birds of the Sultanate, a second edition of which was completed after his twentieth birthday. He was awarded the Order of Sultan in 2008 and the Order of Aurangabad in 2016, Sultanate’s third and second highest civilian honours respectively. Several species of birds, a couple of bird sanctuaries and institutions have been named after him.
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