We ran a live event in partnership with Conservation Optimism, to explore and celebrate the work of Dr Charu Mishra - the world’s foremost expert on snow leopard conservation, and double Whitley Gold Award Winner. Conservation Optimism is a global community dedicated to inspiring people to make a positive difference for nature, and co-hosting the live event with me was Sofia Castelló y Tickell. Together we spoke to Charu, who is the Executive Director of the International Snow Leopard Trust and Co-Founder of India’s Nature Conservation Foundation. He’s spent 25 years working to increase protection for snow leopards across all 12 of their range countries, with the vital support of local people, and has won the Whitley Gold Award in 2005 and in 2022. As a world expert on snow leopard conservation he has pioneered the community-based conservation approach to enable harmonious co-existence between people and wildlife. Sofia and I talked to Charu about his work as Executive Director of the International Snow Leopard Trust, and his approach to community-based conservation. We also explore his career path, his careers advice for aspiring conservationists, and also what keeps him optimistic about the future. Finally, we also discuss the importance of ethics in wildlife conservation and the Ethical Conservation Alliance which he launched recently at the Whitley Fund for Nature, People for Planet Summit. Towards the end of the recording, we also open up to our audience where they get the opportunity to ask their questions of Charu. It’s a wide-ranging, snow-leopard-conservationing, and humbly-inspiring pod-chat. Enjoy.

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