Mark Carwardine

‘One of the world’s most influential conservationists’ is just one of the most recent attributes to add to Mark’s growing list. He is an experienced zoologist, established broadcaster and widely published writer and photographer. Mark is also a talented public speaker on a wide range of natural history subjects and on his extraordinary adventures around the globe.

Mark’s most recent project is presenting a new BBC-TV series with Stephen Fry about endangered species, which will be broadcast later in 2009. Inspired by Mark's travels to almost every country on Earth to study, protect and photograph wildlife at risk, the programmes will include some of the old stars from the best-selling book Last Chance to See (which Mark wrote with the late Douglas Adams), as well as many new ones that have inevitably joined the ever-expanding cast of endangered species. He is a well-known radio broadcaster and presented Radio 4’s Nature, as well as the radio version of Last Chance to See. Mark is an expert contributor on numerous environmental and wildlife programmes and has been interviewed and reported for many others including Countryfile and Inside Out. He has published more than 50 books and for many years wrote monthly columns for BBC Wildlife and Wanderlust magazines. Mark’s widely acclaimed photography is used throughout the world and he is into his fifth year of chairing the panel for the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

For talks and presentations Mark draws on a huge wealth of travel and exploration experience to enthral and entertain audiences of any size. He has been face-to-face with great white sharks in South Africa, rubbed shoulders with wild mountain gorillas in the Congo, made close contact with the now-extinct Yangtze river dolphin in China and searched for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. Along the way he’s had drunk policemen play Russian roulette with a gun held to his head in Zambia, has been mugged by a gang of drug addicts in New York, ambushed by bandits in Tanzania, jailed in Moscow, shot at by poachers from Siberia to Cambodia, stayed in a hotel-cum-brothel in Mali and slept rough in more places than he can remember. Mark’s experiences make for fascinating and hugely entertaining presentations as he describes his adventures and encounters with wildlife – both animals and people – and discusses his strong views about conservation and our impact on the planet.

A consummate public speaker, Mark has represented many different organisations including the hugely important World Wide Fund for Nature and the David Shepherd Foundation. He has lectured for the Royal Geographical Society, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the Marine Conservation Society as well as hosting events for publishers and magazines in venues such as the Natural History Museum. The Atlantic Whale Foundation has nominated Mark for Earth Ambassador; its members regard him as an inspiration to ‘take action and make a difference to our world.’  Mark also works closely with a wide variety of charities, businesses and institutions in the fields of wildlife, conservation, travel, photography and writing.