A journey with snow leopards and Indigenous peoples of High Asia

My journey into snow leopard research, conservation, and self-reflection began nearly three decades ago, forged during four years living with an Indigenous community in the high Himalayas. I’ll share parts of this story and some key research findings that have helped us co-create conservation and conflict management initiatives in partnership with local communities. I’ll also share how we have tried to scale these efforts through international cooperation and intergovernmental diplomacy. Crucially, I’ll suggest that beyond scientific understanding of species and ecosystems, human values and empathy are central to conservation. How we conserve nature matters, not just what we achieve. I invite you to join a vital movement advocating for ethical nature conservation worldwide.