Dr. Hem Sagar Baral earned his Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and has an impressive record of academic affiliations and student supervision. He currently serves as the Director of Conservation for the International Snow Leopard Trust, based in Seattle, USA. He is former Country Representative of Zoological Society of London – Nepal Office, Chief Technical Adviser of Himalayan Nature and Chief Executive Officer of Bird Conservation Nepal.

As a distinguished conservation biologist, Dr. Baral has devoted more than four decades to advocating for the protection of flora and fauna. Widely regarded as “the most sought-after expert in bird conservation” in Nepal, he has received numerous honors for his outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation. These include the Nature Conservation Award from the World Owl Trust, the TAAN Dr. Harka Gurung Award from the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal, the Third World Academy of Science Award from the Royal Nepal Academy for Science and Technology (RONAST), the Whitley Award from the Whitley Fund for Nature, the Partnership Conservation Award from BirdLife International, the Hem-Ganga Natural History Museum Award from the Natural History Museum, Tribhuvan University, among several others. In addition, he has actively promoted eco-tourism across Nepal and parts of India.

Beyond conservation, Dr. Baral is a co-founder of Autism Care Nepal Society, where he has helped establish programs to provide much-needed assistance to persons with autism and their families. He is also passionately involved in supporting students, especially girls, from disadvantaged backgrounds to have access to better education by providing philanthropic donations.