Meet Our Team: Ahmad Zulfikar Abdullah

Zulfikar has been active in wildlife conservation since 2009, with a focus on ornithology, entomology, and biodiversity in general. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and specializes as a licensed bird bander (license type C). As a certified bird bander, Zulfikar has been actively involved in bird marking activities in various locations, including Lorentz National Park in Papua, Mount Patuha in West Java, the mangrove forests of Muara Gembong in Bekasi, Mount Arjuna, and several other sites across Jambi, West Java, and East Java.

His field experience is extensive, ranging from habitat and population surveys of the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo abbotti subspecies on Masakambing Island (Madura) between 2012–2014, to research on the ecological functions of tropical lowland rainforests in Jambi, shorebird monitoring at Cemara Beach in Jambi, and serving as part of the entomology team in disease vector and reservoir studies in Papua, West Papua, West Kalimantan, and North Kalimantan. More recently, he has also been engaged in research on rare species such as Cyornis ruckii in Sumatra and Malacocincla perspicillata in East Kalimantan.

Zulfikar’s contributions are documented through scientific publications, including a report on the first record of the Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) in Indonesia and a compilation of Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) records in Java in 2014, both published in KUKILA journal. He also authored the Birds of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta  in 2016 and was a contributing writer for the Indonesia Bird Atlas, published by Birdpacker Indonesia in 2020.

He is highly committed to strengthening his capacity through various training, starting from a wildlife management internship at Alas Purwo National Park in 2011 to the most recent “Designing Project and Writing Winning Proposal” training organized by the Asian Species Action Partnership and the Tropical Biology Association. With his extensive field experience and long-standing dedication, Endemic Indonesia Society entrusts him with the role of Program Manager, responsible for coordinating all institutional projects to ensure continuity and alignment with the organization’s vision and mission.

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Zulfikar telah aktif di bidang konservasi satwa liar sejak 2009 dengan fokus pada ornitologi, entomologi, dan keanekaragaman hayati secara umum. Ia menyelesaikan pendidikan S1 Biologi serta menekuni spesialisasi sebagai bird bander berlisensi C. Sebagai pemegang lisensi bird banding, Zulfikar aktif terlibat dalam dunia penandaan burung seperti penandaan burung di kawasan Taman Nasional Lorentz-Papua, area Gunung Patuha-Jawa Barat, kawasan mangrove Muara Gembong-Bekasi, gunung Arjuna, dan berbagai kawasan lainnya di Jambi, Jawa Barat, dan Jawa Timur.

Pengalamannya di lapangan sangat luas, mulai dari survei habitat dan populasi Kakatua jambul-kuning ras abbotti di Pulau Masakambing (Madura) selama rentang tahun 2012-2014, proyek penelitian fungsi ekologi hutan hujan dataran rendah tropis di Jambi, pemantauan burung pantai di Pantai Cemara-Jambi, hingga menjadi tim entomologi dalam riset vektor penyakit dan reservoir di Papua, Papua Barat, Kalimantan Barat, dan Kalimantan Utara. Baru-baru ini ia juga aktif dalam penelitian spesies langka seperti Cyornis ruckii di Sumatera dan Malacocincla perspicillata di Kalimantan Timur.

Kontribusinya terdokumentasi melalui publikasi ilmiah, di antaranya laporan tentang catatan pertama Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) di Indonesia dan kumpulan catatan Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) di pulau Jawa tahun 2014, yang keduanya diterbitkan di jurnal KUKILA. Ia juga menulis buku panduan lapangan Burung Kampus UNY tahun 2016 dan menjadi salah satu kontributor penulis dalam penyusunan Atlas Burung Indonesia yang diterbitkan oleh Birdpacker Indonesia tahun 2020.

Zulfikar memiliki semangat tinggi untuk  memperkaya kapasitasnya melalui berbagai pelatihan, dimulai dari magang pengelolaan satwa liar di Taman Alas Purwo tahun 2011 hingga yang terbaru yaitu pelatihan "Designing Project and Writing Winning Proposal" yang diadakan oleh Asian Species Action Partnership dan Tropical Biology Association. Dengan pengalaman lapangan dan dedikasi yang panjang, Endemic Indonesia Society menempatkannya sebagai Manajer Program yang memiliki tugas utama mengoordinasikan semua proyek lembaga agar berjalan berkesinambungan dan sesuai dengan visi-misi lembaga.