Adla Kahrić Appointed Team Leader of National Geographic for Analyzing Mediterranean Sea Rays

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Adla Kahrić from Bosnia and Herzegovina has been officially selected as the leader of the National Geographic research team tasked with analyzing populations and diagnosing diseases of batoids (rays) in the Mediterranean Sea.

Through her work, this young scientist will coordinate experts, students, and volunteers whose common task is to assess, on behalf of this world-renowned institution, the current state of batoid populations living in the Mediterranean, evaluate the threats they face, interspecies relationships, and provide adequate proposals for the protection of all species inhabiting that sea.

Kahrić is among the few individuals from Europe to have received a prestigious position within National Geographic. The primary output of her team's work is a documentary film being produced on the diversity and population status of target species in the Mediterranean, as well as the publication of several scientific papers.

„It is an honor to be yet another young successful person in an underdeveloped country like our Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to show many that persistence, effort, and hard work throughout life break down all barriers,“ Kahrić told the Patria news agency.

„A persistent person does not see obstacles; they see only the goal they are moving toward, through their own effort, without damaging interpersonal relationships.“ Kahrić adds that she is glad her life has become richer for yet another challenging mission that encourages her to be more successful in searching for unexplored sea depths and the world.

Although young, Kahrić is one of the most renowned marine biologists when it comes to rays of the eastern Adriatic Sea. She has built her career so far on a better understanding of the ecology, anatomy, radiology, and genetics of rays. She has participated in numerous field studies in the Adriatic and Red Seas. She has published more than 35 original scientific and professional papers and participated in a large number of international conferences.

She is also the project leader for “Establishing MPAs in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” funded by one of the world's most famous foundations (Waitt Foundation: ROC grant program), which recognized the global significance of the diversity of Neum Bay. This is only the sixth project funded by that foundation in Europe.

Kahrić has carried out her previous engagement within the Association for Inventory and Protection of Animals of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She led the expert group working on marine fauna and batoids of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She developed this engagement together with the association's president and university professor Suvad Lela. Within the association, she is credited with a significant contribution to the knowledge of Bosnia and Herzegovina's fauna when it comes to marine species. She has provided overviews of numerous groups that were previously unknown in the country.

„I am grateful to my family, who have encouraged me throughout my life and enabled me to progress,“ says Kahrić. Together with her friend, Professor Eddie Čustović, she is also working on improving the quality of science and education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

National Geographic, where she recently received an engagement, was founded back in 1888 in Washington D.C. and represents one of the largest and most significant institutions dealing with multidisciplinary science and education. It consists of revolutionary, world-renowned scientists, conservationists, and educators who, through their work, significantly push the boundaries of science and advocate for the well-being of the planet. National Geographic explorers, in the position that Adla Kahrić has also received, represent a key part of this institution and are responsible for most of the knowledge so far broadcast through television, magazines, or other media platforms.