Highlights from seven short documentary films written, produced, directed and presented by Dr Jonny Hanson. Watch the full versions via YouTube.
Author Archives: Jonny Hanson
Your Place and Mine Halloween interview

Without nature there is no human nature – Jonny was talking pigs & pumpkins with Glynn Primary School pumpkin art and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s social farming referrals.
Plus wildlife and wellbeing with Jubilee’s new National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland-funded conservation project, all on BBC Radio Ulster’s Your Place and Mine from 49.30 this morning here.
Mountain Ghost: The Science of Snow Leopards
Today, International Snow Leopard Day 2021, join conservationist Dr Jonny Hanson for an interactive and engaging exploration of the science of snow leopards. From natural selection and camera trapping to social surveys and ecosystem services, learn about the natural history of and threats to this elusive big cat, its coexistence with local communities, and the significance of its mountain home for the world and all its inhabitants. Drawing on Jonny’s experience of working with snow leopards in captivity, his research on snow leopard conservation in the field, and his ongoing involvement in snow leopard conservation, this talk blends science and adventure, humour and wonder, in this inspiring profile of the Mountain Ghost.
Nyika-Vwaza Trust 2021 Lecture & Social

The Nyika-Vwaza (UK) Trust’s 2021 Lecture Night & Social Evening.
Featuring ‘A Botanists take on conservation’ by Jonathan Timberlake.
Tickets £16/£8 student via sec.nvt@gmail.com
More information here.
Dr Jonny Hanson YouTube channel launched
This is the trailer for my new YouTube channel, where you can watch all of my videos.
Thanks to the Northern Ireland Science Festival, Jubilee Community Benefit Society, the Snow Leopard Conservancy and everyone else who has played a part.
Mountains of the mind
It’s not the imposing spires of the Himalayas that are the world’s most challenging peaks; it’s the mountains of the mind. These mental massifs also dictate the success or failure of snow leopard conservation, and of nature conservation in general. Some parting thoughts from the series in Snow Leopard Fieldwork Diaries 19.
The voices of those who matter II
Conservation = nature + human nature. But it’s the human nature bit that’s the tricky part, especially where large carnivores are concerned. Snow Leopard Fieldwork Diaries explores the nuances of these relationships in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area.
Seven days in Little Tibet
One of the world’s most remote and extraordinary places, Nepal’s NarPhu valley has everything: stunning scenery, challenging trekking, Tibetan Buddhist culture, Cold War history. And did we mention the snow leopards? A week of wonder in Snow Leopard Fieldwork Diaries 17.
Tax dodging and conservation
With tackling tax loopholes making global headlines, as nations seek to simultaneously finance post-COVID and green economy investments, it’s worth taking a fresh look at the significance of this for conservation, as we seek to stem the loss of genes, species and ecosystems by investing in the global public good that is biodiversity. My blog from 2014, and my subsequent editorial in Oryx, delve deeper.
Himalayan Fawlty Towers
In Snow Leopard Fieldwork Diaries 16, Jonny and the team experience the Himalaya’s very own version of Fawlty Towers, and live to tell the tale. There’s never a dull moment in conservation social science research…