Tony Mitchell-Jones spent most of his career working for the UK government's conservation agency as a specialist in the conservation of mammals in England. During this time, he developed many conservation programmes, particularly for bats, and authored or contributed to influential guidance on the conservation and management of various species. In 1988 he went by chance to a meeting in Paris to discuss the preparation of an atlas of European mammals, ending up 11 years later as the Editor-in-chief of the publication. Following retirement in 2011, Tony has continued his interest in mammal conservation and revived a second edition of the atlas.