An Australian missing in Nepal, Dr Jill Bowling, is a well-respected and well-known conservationist who has worked extensively throughout the world, a spokeswoman for World Wildlife Fund in Australia said.
Bowling is among 24 passengers on board a helicopter that went missing on Saturday in Nepal's mountainous east.
WWF Australia spokeswoman Jacqueline McArthur said Bowling, originally from Australia, had been working as the director of conservation for WWF UK.
She was appointed to the position in July 2004.
"She's a very well-respected conservationist and well-known," McArthur said.
"She's done a lot of work on forestry issues in Australia, Canada and the US."
McArthur said Bowling and six other WWF staff had been attending a hand over of a conservation area in the mountainous Taplejung district of Nepal to local communities.
Although she knew little of Bowling's personal life, McArthur said her brother Mark Bowling was a journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The helicopter owned by private carrier Shree Airlines lost contact with the airport in Taplejung town, 400km east of Kathmandu, just before noon local time on Saturday, Karna said.
The helicopter took off in wet and cloudy conditions and local airport authorities fear it has crashed.
