Guy Mountfort describes himself as an amateur naturalist, whose interest in wild-life began in early childhood. This interest has taken him to the remotest parts of the world. He has organized and led nine major expeditions and has helped governments to create wildlife reserves in Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Gambia.
He was one of the founders of the World Wildlife Fund, of which he is an International Trustee. The world-wide campaign to save the tiger from extinction was instigated by him and its rescue became one of the great success stories of conservation. In 1970 he was awarded the OBE and in 1980 he was made a Commander of the Order of the Golden Ark. Other awards include the Stamford Raffles Prize from the Zoological Society of London, of which he is a Scientific Fellow, the Union Medal of the British Ornithologists' Union, of which he is a Past President and the Gold Medal of the World Wildlife Fund for outstanding services to conservation.
Among his best known books are Portrait of a Wilderness, Portrait of a Desert, The Vanishing Jungle and So Small a World. He was co-author of A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, which has now sold nearly a million copies in thirteen languages.