Conservation and photography appear as two distinct fields, but their combined impact can be profound. Simply put, conservation photography is photography that empowers or enables conservation.
According to the acclaimed photographer, Joel Sartore, “the typical nature photograph shows a butterfly on a pretty flower. The conservation photograph shows the same thing, but with a bulldozer coming at it in the background. This doesn’t mean there’s no room for beautiful pictures, in fact we need beautiful images just as much as the issues. It does mean that the images exist for a reason; to save the Earth while we still can.”
National Geographic has a campaign and provides funding for the recovery of species on the brink of extinction. They aim to halt further biodiversity decline by implementing conservation plans for species and groups of species.
The header photograph, copied below, is by Joel Sartore.
