We encountered Nicolàs Lagos in a place so arid that it is used for Mars mission-related research purposes and so picturesque that it’s guaranteed to take any of your remaining breath away, thanks to the altitude of almost 4000 masl. Nico - researcher, conservationist and member of the Andean Cat Alliance - studies the behaviour of pumas and Andean cats to help protect them in their natural habitat.

“Protecting this cat is protecting the landscape and it’s protecting the culture as well.” Not an easy task, given the environmental conditions and shy nature of this very-hard-to-spot animal; in fact, despite having spent the last 15 years studying this species, Nico has only ever seen sightings via the camera trap footage.