Christian Walzer

Christian Walzer is executive director of the Health at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Walzer is a wildlife veterinarian and a lifelong professor of Conservation Medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed research publications and numerous books and chapters.

He is one of the earliest advocates and practitioners of the "One Health" concept, having helped to develop the Manhattan Principles in 2003, which first articulated the "One World, One Health" concept. Over the past 20 years, he has focused on human-livestock-wildlife interfaces in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with a particular emphasis on equids and carnivores. Currently, Walzer's research focuses on the relationship between environment and health, particularly with regard to emerging zoonotic pathogens, environmental degradation, and the wildlife trade.

Walzer has successfully led several ecological connectivity and biodiversity conservation projects over the past 20 years. He has also been involved in working in the Gobi region of Mongolia. He has received the Distinguished Environmentalist Award from the Mongolian Ministry of Nature and Environment for contributions to the conservation of Mongolia's rare and endangered species. Chris has also served as a wildlife affairs advisor to various organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).