Dr Sayam Chowdhury
- Postdoctoral Researcher
Contact
About
Growing up in a rural town in the deltaic plains of Bangladesh, I witnessed the natural world rapidly disappearing under the pressures of population growth and development. Motivated by this experience and a lifelong passion for wildlife, I have spent the past 15 years working in research, conservation and behavioural ecology of globally threatened species in Asia, with a particular focus on threatened birds. My undergraduate training in Environmental Science, followed by MPhil in Conservation Leadership and PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge, has strengthened my ability to understand the complex conservation challenges facing threatened species and ecosystems, and to develop science-based solutions through rigorous research.
Find more about my Field Projects here.
Research
I am a conservation scientist interested in the ecology and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly the impacts of environmental change and human activities on species and habitats. My research combines field ecology, remote sensing and conservation planning to better understand how species respond to habitat loss, climate change and large-scale anthropogenic pressures, with the aim of developing applied solutions to prevent biodiversity loss and species declines. Much of my work focuses on migratory species and wetland ecosystems within the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, including habitat management, spatial prioritisation and conservation under rapid environmental change. Currently, my research aims to improve understanding of the ecological requirements and conservation needs of migratory species across dynamic ecosystems.
Key publications
Chowdhury, S. U., Foysal, M., Khan, N. U., Choi, C. Y., Qiu, W., Field, D., Clark, N., Green, R. E. & Balmford, A. (2026). Interspecific variation in shorebird population trends in relation to migration stopover habitat. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2026.0161
Chowdhury, S. U., Foysal, M. & Green R. E. (2022). Accelerating decline of an important wintering population of the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea at Sonadia Island, Bangladesh. Journal of Ornithology, 164 (4). doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-01995-0.
Chowdhury, S. U., Foysal, M. & Khan, N. (2021). Using community-based interviews to determine population size, distribution and nest site characteristics of Pallas's fish eagle in north-east Bangladesh. Oryx, 1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605321000314.
Chowdhury, S., Fuller, R.A., Rokonuzzaman, M., Alam, S., Das, P., Siddika, A., Ahmed, S., Labi, M.M., Chowdhury, S.U., Mukul, S.A. and Böhm, M. (2023). Insights from citizen science reveal priority areas for conserving biodiversity in Bangladesh. One Earth, 6(10), 1315-1325.
Crosby, M., Wee, S. Q., Yong, D. L., Allport, G., Chowdhury, S. U., Xiaojing, G., ... & Peh, K. S. H. (2025). Identifying priority wetland sites in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory bird conservation. Scientific Reports. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-31727-2.
Yong, D. L., Jain, A., Chowdhury, S. U., Denstedt, E., Khammavong, K., Milavong, ... & Vorsak, B. (2022). The specter of empty countrysides and wetlands—Impact of hunting take on birds in Indo-Burma. Conservation Science and Practice. e212668. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12.
Chowdhury, S. U., Yong, D. L., Round, P. D., Mahood, S.,Tizard, R. & Eames, J. E. (2020). The status and distribution of the Masked Finfoot —Asia’s next avian extinction? Forktail 36, 16-24.
Chowdhury, S. U. (2020). Birds of the Bangladesh Sundarbans: status, threats and conservation recommendations. Forktail, 36, 35–46.
Chowdhury, S. U., Foysal, M., Diyan, M. A. A., & Ahmed, S. (2018). Discovery of an important wintering site of the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea in the Meghna Estuary, Bangladesh. Bird Conservation International 28(2), 251-262. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270917000247
Chowdhury, S. U., Neumann-Denzau, G., & Muzaffar, S. B. (2017). Nesting Ecology and Habitat Preference of the Masked Finfoot (Heliopais personatus) in Sundarbans, Bangladesh. Waterbirds 40(4), 410-416.
Full list of publications: Dr. Sayam U. Chowdhury (0000-0002-1901-8900) - ORCID
Sayam U. Chowdhury - Google Scholar
