2019-2020 Imagely Fund Environmental Fellow

It is a tremendous privilege and honour for me to have been selected as the 2019-2020 Imagely Fund Environmental Fellow and more importantly, this will allow me to continue raising the flag of awareness around the wildlife crime issues and to garner support for the ranger teams that are at the very tip of the conservation frontline.

In this time of global chaos that is happening at so many levels, an award and grant like this from Imagely is so important in being able to keep the horrific consequences of wildlife crime and particularly the slaughter of our rhino’s that are one of Africa's most iconic species at the forefront of the news.

The impact of rhino poaching can quickly be lost amongst all of the other tragedies and issues that are facing our world but they are at the very centre of what is both wrong and right with the world. On the negative side, wildlife crime reaches its tentacles across the globe and is both a human and environmental tragedy. Animals and environments that our own future is so dependent upon are being annihilated at an unprecedented rate and impoverished communities with few other livelihood alternatives are being drawn into the web of wildlife crime often with deadly consequences.

On the positive, the rangers teams are at the forefront of the protection of these rhinos and other species and it is they that are ensuring the future wellbeing of our conservation areas.

However, these rangers are also facing ongoing risk and threat and they need our continual support. Through this grant, I am determined to keep raising the profile of our conservation heroes and to keep the pressure on in order to halt wildlife crime and the injustices that it brings.

2019 2020 Imagely Fund Environmental Fellow_©PeterChadwick_AfricanConservationPhotographer