We aim to produce quality human resource to address contemporary problems dealing with animal ecology and conservation by doing research on cross cutting issues.

We established herpetology lab at the Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, under an international research grant (International Foundation for Science, Sweden, grant#5459-1, amount: 12,000 USD) and an NRPU awarded by the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (grant#3170, amount: 8.20 million Pak. Rs.).

Our work primarily focuses species of amphibians and reptiles associated with wetlands (Riverine, Lacustrine, Palustrine, Forested and Urban Wetlands). Besides this, we also work on water birds or mammals associated with wetland ecosystems.

We work on relative abundance estimation, morphometry, population monitoring, species occupancy analysis, species distribution modeling, metapopulation, movement pattern, climate change, molecular taxonomy and method development using scientific tools such as Radiotelemetry (VHF), Animal Marking (VIE, PIT tags), Bioaccoustics, DNA barcoding, Remote sensing/GIS and eDNA.

Our lab is equipped with radiotelemetry gear, GPS, sound recorder (manual and automated), weather meter, stream flow meter, water quality analyzer, animal marking kit (PIT tags, reader, VIE), snake handling sticks, DSLR camera (with an additional Macro lens), centrifuge, ArcMap 10.5.1 (licensed), Raven software and a few dozen specimens of amphibians and reptiles. We also have a tadpole rearing facility at our lab.

Books

1. Rais, M. & Anwar, M. (2023). Wildlife Conservation in Pakistan: National Perspectives (p.136). Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization, PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, Pakistan (Paperback ISBN 978-969-8374-29-7, pdf/e-book ISBN 978-969-8374-30-3)
2. Rais, M., & Borzée, A. (Eds.). (2026). Trends and Challenges in Amphibian Conservation: A Global Perspective. Springer Cham. XVII, 734 pp. (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-26426-8)

Book Chapters

1. Anwar, M., Rais, M., Baig, M.B., and Behnassi, M.  2022. Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Pakistan: Current Challenges and Policy Recommendations. In: M. Behnassi et al. (eds.), The Food Security, Biodiversity, and Climate Nexus, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12586-7_6
2. *Rais, M. and Abid, A., 2022. Softshell Freshwater Turtles in Peril: Research Gaps and Conservation Planning. In: DellaSala, D.A., Goldstein, M.I. (Eds.), Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation, vol. 1. Elsevier, pp. 320–326. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821139-7.00052-0 
3. *Rais M. and Ahmed W. (2021) Amphibian Dispersal among Terrestrial Habitats and Wetlands in a Landscape. In: Leal Filho W., Azul A.M., Brandli L., Lange Salvia A., Wall T. (eds) Life on Land. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71065-5_151-1
4. *Rais M. and Ahmed W. (2021) Pandemics and use of technology in animal conservation. In: Shibly, F.H., and Zunoomy M.S. (eds) Impact of Covid-19 on Technology, Social, Economic Domains. Great Minds, Media and Communications Unit, Great Minds (pvt) LTD. https://doi.org/978-624-6253-01-1

Research Articles:

1. Ahmed, W., Amin, H., *Rais, M., DeWoody, J. A. (2026). Genetic diversity patterns across habitats and forms of a morphologically cryptic South Asian frog (Sphaerotheca maskeyi). Molecular Biology Reports, 53: 1568. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-026-12696-9)
2. Maqbool, I., Khadija, L., *Rais, M., Rahim, A., Luqman, M., Raja, M. N. I., Mashwani, Z. U. R., Shahbaz, M., Gill, S., & Saeed, M. (2026). Assessing the impact of nano-pollutants on the growth and development of stream-breeding frogs. Biologia. 81 (53): 1-9 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-025-02127-8)
3. Ahmed, W., *Rais, M., Akram, A., Saeed, M., Luqman, Gill, S., Abid, A. and Hadi Sr, A., 2024. Movement of amphibians in a habitat mosaic of agriculture landscape. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 70(6): 108
4. Luedtke, J.A., Chanson, J., Neam, K. et al.2023. Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats. Nature. 622 (7982), 308–314. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06578-4)
5. *Rais, M., Nawaz, M.A., Gray, R.J., Qadir, W., Ali, S.M., Saeed, M., Akram, A., Ahmed, W., Sajjad, A. and Leston, L., 2023. Niche suitability and spatial distribution patterns of anurans in a unique Ecoregion mosaic of Northern Pakistan. PlosOne, 18(6). (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0285867)
6. Saeed M, *Rais M, Akram A, Williams MR, Kellner KF, Hashsham SA, Davis DR. 2022. Development and validation of an eDNA protocol for monitoring endemic Asian spiny frogs in the Himalayan region of Pakistan. Scientific Reports (Nature). 12: 5624. (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09084-1)
7. *Rais, M., Ahmed, W., Sajjad, A., Akram, A., Saeed, M., Hamid, HN. and Abid, A. 2021. Amphibian fauna of Pakistan with notes on future prospects of research and conservation. Zookeys.  1062: 157-175. (https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1062.66913)

Dr. Muhammad Rais, Assistant Professor,
Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, PMAS-AAUR

Post-Doc: Australia (2015),
Trainings in Herpetology USA (2013) and India (2012)

Leadership:

• Co-Lead, IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group Regional Working Group
• Country coordinator (Amphibians), IUCN Red List Authority
• Co-Lead, Animal Movement Group, WildLabs

Membership:

IUCN  Amphibian Specialist Group , Conservation Planning Specialist Group, World Protected Areas Commission, Species Survival Commission, Commission on Ecosystem Management, Commission on Education and Communication, Climate Action Commission, Member, Amphibian Survival Alliance, Member (Executive Council), Zoological Society of Pakistan

• Future Leader in Amphibian Conservation Award (2020) awarded by Amphibian Survival Alliance
• Australia Awards, Professional Development Opportunity for Pakistan (2020), Government of Australia.
• Dr. Aleem Chudhary Gold medal (March, 2019) awarded by Zoological Society of Pakistan

• Dr. Muhammad Zaheer Khan, (Retd.) Professor, Department of Zoology (Wildlife), University of Karachi, Pakistan.
• Prof. Dr. Bruce Kingsbury, Department of Biology, Purdue University, Indiana, USA.
• Prof. Dr. Don Driscoll, Terrestrial Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Director, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
• Dr. Bernd Gruber, Associate Professor, Spatial and Ecological Modelling, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Australia.

If you are interested in joining us as a research scholar (MS/ PhD) or volunteer/internee (unpaid), please contact at [email protected].

Animal Marking Equipment

Burrowing Frog

Chitra indica

Stream Flow Meter and Vernier Caliper

Hazara Frog

Murree Hills Frog with BD-2 transmitter

Radiotelemetry

Sound recorders

Specimens

Tadpole rearing