Rodney Jackson hikes high into the Himalayas to help snow leopards

This is one of the biggest changes in conservation over the past decade or so, Crowther says. Instead of conservationists acting as cops to keep people out of an animal's territory, more, like Jackson, are trying to find solutions that will improve the lives of the people living there, as well as protect the animals.

"When you save environments for wildlife, you tend to sustain those environments for people, too," Crowther says. "It's a very holistic approach."

"He's looked long and hard at the kind of subsistence economy of people living in those situations and tried to come up with schemes that will appeal to their sensitivities and tastes and needs," says Chris Wemmer, scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.

Snow leopard pelts are prized on the black market, Dr. Wemmer explains.

"[The people are] poor, and this is money walking on four paws. That's what you're up against," Wemmer says. "It takes a great deal of sensitivity and understanding to work without becoming jaded or cynical. The games people play can become pretty demoralizing."

Jackson's ability to operate on a shoestring, as well as the "sparing kind of existence" he and Hillard live even when not in the field, sets them apart, Wemmer says. "Everything he gets goes into the conservation of snow leopards. That's a bit unusual. That degree of devotion is not commonly seen."

• To learn more about the work of Rodney Jackson, visit http://snowleopardconservancy.org.

Helping Animals

UniversalGiving helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations worldwide. Projects are vetted by Universal Giving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause.

Here are three projects selected by UniversalGiving that help animals:

• Osa Conservation protects the habitats, people, and wildlife of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Project: Protect a nesting sea turtle.

• The San Francisco SPCA provides a foster care program for cats and dogs that are too ill or too young to enter the adoption program. Project: Sponsor a foster kitten or puppy.

• In Defense of Animals-Africa is committed to the conservation of great apes in Cameroon. Project: Volunteer to help for six months in a challenging and isolated environment at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Cameroon.

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