Maula Nadia

Maula Nadia, one of Conservation Nation’s 2025 Conservationist Grant recipients, is a marine conservationist and co-founder of the Elasmobranch Project Indonesia (EPI), a local nonprofit dedicated to shark and ray conservation through research and citizen science. She recently finished her Master of Science in Marine Resources Management at Wageningen University and Research, where her studies focused on ray movement and migration.

Nadia started her journey in conservation in 2019 where she worked with TAKA Foundation, leading initiatives on sustainable fisheries and marine conservation in Indonesia.

Currently, Nadia is a part of EPI’s Rhinorays Project in Karimunjawa National Park – Central Java, which is the first critical habitat assessment for rhinorays. Her role combines research with community engagement, conducting training, workshops, and joint expeditions with local gillnet fishers. To amplify the fishers’ contributions, she has produced a short documentary film highlighting their role in the species conservation.
Project Overview

Nadia’s project will expand the Rhinorays Project through her ongoing capture-mark-recapture study, collecting habitat use data of critically endangered rhinorays, particularly juveniles. This is the first effort of its kind for rhinorays in Indonesia and can directly inform species-specific conservation measures such as the management of nursery ground protections, primarily through a Local Managed Marine Area (LMMA) approach. The project also deepens engagement through the Fisher Scientist program, transforming former fishers into conservation partners and building a foundation for sustainable, bottom-up conservation.  

Beyond research, Nadia has a deep passion for science communication, creating engaging publication products with the aim of sharing more about research and conservation projects to the public.