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Researching endangered animals in the Sahara has its own dangers

Conservation biologist Jose María Gil-Sánchez dodges landmines and installs camera traps to document little-known Saharan mammals.
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  1. Christine Ro

    1. Christine Ro is a freelance writer in London, UK.

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Jose María Gil-Sanchez kneeling down in the sand to inspect a camera trap which is attached to a tree in the Sahara desert

Jose María Gil-Sánchez is a conservation biologist at the University of Granada, Spain. Credit: Ugo Mellone

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“Ever since the first time I visited, I’ve been in love with the Sahara. That was in Morocco in 2011, to survey the situation of the Saharan cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki). I am a conservation biologist at the University of Granada, Spain, and I quickly realized the importance of preserving these forgotten animals. It’s especially key in the context of climate change, to see how they adapt to drought, for instance.

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Nature 638, 286 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00320-y

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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