Conservation Photography for Local Communities

Against the backdrop of widespread biodiversity loss on a global scale, the field of conservation photography is continuing to gain momentum and public recognition. Spearheaded by the international League of Conservation... [ view full abstract ]

Against the backdrop of widespread biodiversity loss on a global scale, the field of conservation photography is continuing to gain momentum and public recognition. Spearheaded by the international League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) and National Geographic Magazine, conservation photography engages the public with issues of pressing environmental concern. This growing subfield bridges nature and documentary photography to raise awareness about the need to protect species, ecosystems and natural habitats from anthropogenic pressures. Conservation photography highlights the critical importance of conservation interventions worldwide and inspires collective action to safeguard the planet upon which we depend. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the ways in which conservation photography can be used to document the often-untold stories of local community members who are directly engaged with conservation projects worldwide. Taking as its point of departure the important role that conservation photography plays in global discourses of conservation, this presentation addresses the question of how conservation photography can be used as a medium that empowers local communities and fosters stewardship and livelihood security. It draws from ethnographic fieldwork and documentary photography carried out with local communities whose members’ everyday lives are entangled with conservation projects. In doing so, it highlights the ways in which photography can be used as a powerful medium for sharing the lived experiences of local communities in the context of conservation.