Living with snow leopards in a changing climate
Threats such as poaching, habitat loss and the impact of climate change make conserving the “ghost of the mountain” a challenge.
I grew up in a bicultural family mixing European and Asian lifestyles. I was early fascinated by mountains and mountainous environments represented a wonderful playground at first. Spending time in nature made me realise how beautiful it is, but also how sensitive it is to external pressures. I had the chance to explore this environmental issue during my PhD project at Grenoble University. Based on lake sediments, I studied erosion patterns with a special attention to extreme climatic events such as floods, avalanches or landslides occurring in a changing climate and with increasing human pressures.
Before joining GRID-Arendal, I had the opportunity to work for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on a storm surge forecasting project. Later on, I had the opportunity to work for the Earth Focus Foundation in Switzerland on sustainable development issues, and for the Foundation for Microprojects in Vietnam (FMV) aiming at supporting rural areas in economic development. Those experiences increased my understand of environmental issues in different regions of the world, and the many ways to improve them.
At GRID-Arendal, I am involved in various exciting projects concerning high mountains and arctic environments with the aim to turn scientific material into accessible communication products for the public and policy makers. I work on topics such as biodiversity conservation, plastic waste in the mountains and environmental policy.