Samar Singh was a member of the Indian Administrative Service (1962-2000). He held several senior positions in Madhya Pradesh, his cadre state, and with the Government of India, where he worked first in the Ministry of Agriculture and then in the Ministry of Environment & Forests. Thereafter, for seven years, he was on deputation as the Secretary-General of the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India), the country's largest conservation NGO, and retired in June 2000 at the level of Secretary to the Government of India.
A recipient of the 'Order of the Golden Ark', an international award for exceptional work done in the field of nature conservation, he has authored many books, among which are Conserving India's Natural Heritage (1987), World Charter for Nature (2000), Religion and Conservation (2000) and Maintenance of Public Order (2004).
Presently, he is the President of WPA-India, the Samarpan Foundation and the Tourism & Wildlife Society of India and is associated with several other conservation bodies, including the Foundation for Ecological Security.