I first met Yeshi Lama almost 30 years ago at Darjeeling's Bethany School. We were about six then, but I soon became a fan. Yeshi always topped the class. Boys were sometimes intimidated by this pretty tomboy, but she was always popular.

We lost contact after school and met 20 years at her WWF Nepal office in Baluwatar. Yeshi was still a favourite, loved by WWF staff her for her kindness, patience, and hard work, and especially for her passion for conserving engendered plant species.

In 2001, we travelled to Dolpa's remote Komang village, taking the arduous Jomsom route. Yeshi led us on Mustang horses braving the snow, rain, and extreme cold, to our destination at 5,500m. After we'd shot the film, the villagers and amchis were in tears as they bid farewell to Yeshi, who, in the last few years worked tirelessly to promote their work and traditions.

Yeshi believed amchis made an immense humanitarian contribution, saving many lives in remote mountain areas where there are no hospitals, health posts, or government health workers. She organised many training sessions for young lamas to encourage them to preserve and refine their traditions. Yeshi was also a prolific author, with several books on medicinal plants to her credit.

In recent years, Yeshi has been responsible for WWF Nepal's Mountain Program, looking after projects in Sagarmatha, Kangchenjunga and Dolpo, the snow leopard conservation project, as well as the newly-initiated sacred Himalayan landscape program. She remained excited about using film to aid her work, and had commissioned Tsering Rhitar Sherpa to make a documentary about snow leopards in Kangchenjunga.

Yeshi was not typical. As a program officer, she never shied away from travelling, making several trips to Dolpa and the Everest region. Often she had to leave her two young sons behind with her beloved husband Tashi, but wherever she could, Yeshi took her boys. Yeshi Lama will be greatly missed, for her work and for who she was.

Naresh Newar