Organization Rewild

Restoring Nature, Protecting Wildlife and Inspiring Coexistence

Organization Rewild (OR) is a non-governmental, non-profit environmental organization registered with the Ministry of Economy of Afghanistan (Registration No. 6208). OR works to restore ecosystems, conserve wildlife, and promote sustainable coexistence between people and nature through applied ecological researches, participatory conservation and community-based natural resource management (CBNRM).

Our Mission

To conserve Afghanistan’s biodiversity and ecological integrity by combining scientific expertise, local knowledge, and community engagement to deliver sustainable environmental solutions.

Technical Capacity

OR brings together a multidisciplinary team of Afghan conservation professionals with up to two decades of field and technical experience in wildlife conservation, protected area management, ecological monitoring, and community-based resource management supported by an international Scientific Advisory Board providing remote technical guidance.

Core Areas of Work

Biodiversity conservation and species monitoring
Wetland and freshwater ecosystem assessment
Protected area planning and management support
Community-based conservation and sustainable livelihoods
Climate change adaptation in natural resource management
Ecological research and environmental analysis
Environmental education and conservation awareness

Partnership and Networks

OR is actively engaged in regional and international conservation platforms and maintains technical collaborations with:

Wetlands International (WI) and International Waterbird Census (IWC) https://iwc.wetlands.org/index.php/coordinators
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) – Afghanistan
Central Asian Conservation Network (CACN)
Central Asian Flyway Initiative (CAF)

These partnerships strengthen OR’s ability to align national conservation efforts with global biodiversity monitoring and flyway-scale ecological priorities.

Afghanistan rejoined the International Waterbird Census.

In January 2026, high in the winter landscapes of Afghanistan, where rivers cut through mountains and deserts stretch wide, a team of conservationists set out with binoculars, notebooks, and hope. For the first time in decades, Afghanistan rejoined the International Waterbird Census.

Traveling across frozen valleys and remote wetlands, the team from Organization Rewild (OR) surveyed six key wetlands, from the reservoirs of the Kabul River to the reed-filled marshes of the Amu Darya floodplains, counted waterbirds, assessed habitat conditions, spoke with local communities about changes they have witnessed over the years, and walked across the dry basin of Ab-i-Estada - once a sanctuary for flamingos and a resting place for the now-lost Siberian Crane of Central Asia. Shepherds spoke of lakes that no longer fill as they once did. Farmers described shifting seasons. Yet in hidden marshes along the Amu Darya, reeds still sheltered wintering birds, reminding the team that nature’s resilience has not disappeared.

This was more than a bird count. It was a reconnection — of Afghanistan to the global flyway, of people to their wetlands, and of conservation to a landscape that still matters to millions of migratory birds each year. The surveys revealed both hope and urgency. Important wintering flocks of waterbirds still rely on these wetlands along the Central Asian Flyway. Even after decades of silence, the birds are still coming. And now, once again, someone is counting.

This first renewed national count is a milestone. It re-establishes Afghanistan’s presence in global waterbird monitoring and provides the first updated baseline in decades for some of the country’s most important wetlands. The data will be shared with national authorities to support better wetland management and conservation planning.

Most importantly, the mission shows that conservation is still possible and still valued in Afghanistan. Even in difficult circumstances, dedicated local scientists are working to re-connect their country to international environmental efforts and to safeguard the wetlands that link Central, South and Southeast Asia, through the journeys of migratory birds.

Afghanistan is back on the flyway map.

https://iwc.wetlands.org/postcards

Ayub Alavi (Ms.C)

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Organization Rewild, leading efforts to strengthen environmental conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable natural resource management in Afghanistan. He brings more than 20 years of senior leadership and technical experience in program design, institutional management, and donor-funded project delivery. Prior to his current role, Mr. Alavi served as Acting Country Director and Operations Director for the Wildlife Conservation Society in Afghanistan, where he provided strategic leadership for multi-province programs and guided the organization through complex operational transitions. He has worked extensively with international donors, UN agencies, and government partners on biodiversity conservation, protected area management, and community-based livelihoods. Mr. Alavi holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences and advanced training in natural resource management and environmental monitoring.

Zalmai Moheb (Ph.D)

Dr. Zalmai Moheb serves as a Scientific Board Member for Organization Rewild. Dr. Moheb is a wildlife biologist with nearly two decades of experience in wildlife research and conservation. He began his career in wildlife conservation in 2006. He earned a master’s degree in wildlife science from India, followed by research and conservation work with the Wildlife Conservation Society in Afghanistan. Zalmai earned his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst, USA, in 2020. His doctoral research focused on human–wildlife conflict in Wakhan National Park in northeastern Afghanistan. Over his career, he has worked in both field- and office-based roles, conducting research on wild species as well as contributing to conservation management and strategy development at country level. His research covered a wide range of species, including brown bears, mountain ungulates, snow leopard, Persian leopard, birds, and issues related to human–wildlife conflict. He is currently pursuing a Postdoctoral position at UMass Amherst, USA.

Christopher C. Shank (Ph.D)

Dr. Shank serves as a Scientific Board Member for Organization Rewild. He is a zoologist having graduated from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Shank’s interests are in ecology and behaviour of birds and large mammals and conservation biology; especially biodiversity, endangered species and management planning for protected areas. He has worked extensively on ecological research programmes, community consultation and management planning in Afghanistan and Pakistan since early 70s.

Ms Katherine Hall

Ms Katherine Hall serves as a Scientific Board Member for Organization Rewild and is a specialist in environmental policy and governance. She has 20 years experience working in environmental issues in Central Asia, among others with UNEP and UNDP. She is co-chair of the Central Asian Conservation Network (CACN), which focuses on conservation of migratory birds and their habitats in the Central Asian Flyway. Her areas of interest include climate change adaptation and resilience, conservation governance, with practical experience in environmental management and community-based climate adaptation initiatives in Afghanistan, and conservation research and management in Central Asia.

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