Dr. Hem Sagar Baral obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and has an astounding list of academic affiliations and student supervision. At present, he is the Country Representative at the Zoological Society of London – Nepal Office and has previously served as the Chief Technical Adviser at Himalayan Nature, the Chief Executive Officer at Bird Conservation Nepal, and a Naturalist at Gaida Wildlife Lodge, Chitwan National Park.

As a prominent conservation biologist, Dr. Baral has dedicated his career spanning over two decades to advocating for the conservation of flora and fauna. He is “the most sought-after expert in bird conservation” in Nepal. For his relentless contribution to eco-tourism, Dr. Baral has been awarded numerous awards such as the Nature Conservation Award by World Owl, the TAAN Dr. Harka Gurung Award by Trekking Agents Association of Nepal, the Third World Academy of Science Award by the Royal Nepal Academy for Science and Technology (RONAST), the Whitley Award by The Whitley Fund for Nature, and the Partnership Conservation Award.

As a co-founder of Autism Care Nepal, he has helped set up various programs at the Autism Care Nepal Society to provide much-needed assistance to autistic kids and their families. He is also passionately involved in supporting students, especially girls, from disadvantaged backgrounds to have access to better education.