Aly Hyder Ali was born in Karachi, Pakistan, where his love for the environment was sparked through family trips to parks and beaches and spending time observing urban wildlife. This initial spark grew into a passionate desire to protect the environment, along with the people and wildlife that rely on it, once he moved to Canada in 2004. Following that passion, he graduated from a joint degree-diploma program in environmental sciences from Fleming College and Trent University. Hyder Ali's background is in organizing and advocating for environmental protection, and he spent three years with Nature Canada helping shape the efforts to certify 16 Canadian cities as Bird Friendly Cities. In his free time, you can find him hiking around Gatineau and Ottawa with his two huskies, or gardening with his son.