Jaime Culebras

You cannot protect what you do not know, and science is a fundamental driver for developing better conservation strategies, where better management of natural resources can be carried out and value can be given to areas of high endemism and biodiversity. There is no environmental justice without social justice, and I believe that the science we carry out should be a motivation to support local communities, who are our guardians of biodiversity and often show us that we can live with sustainable management of the territory.

On the other hand, my photographic work has allowed me to show the beauty of nature, especially reptiles and amphibians, since they are groups of animals that are very undervalued. I think there is no doubt that today, more than ever, we revolve in a dizzying visual world, and photography becomes a powerful tool to make science and conservation visible.

At first, I simply felt admiration for the beauty of the natural world, from mammals like monkeys and colorful birds like hummingbirds, to tiny and ignored spiders. I also felt a strong admiration for snakes. Step by step, as I learned about biology and conservation, my interest began to develop in learning about the ecology of species, their functions in the environment and then the problems that were causing their extinction. It is sad to see that when I was a child, seeing a species that had a “threatened” category was not the norm, unlike today, where I observe highly threatened species on each of my expeditions. I have focused on researching these species and making them visible, while showing the conservation work of so many fellow researchers and conservationists, and the local communities that live day to day with these species. In Ecuador, local communities and private reserves often don’t have the capacity to investigate the biodiversity of their territory and without this information they cannot fight against government proposals in favor of extractivism.

I cannot imagine living in a world without splendorous and abundant biodiversity, without rivers full of life, without forests where the sound of biodiversity fills our soul. 

Combining science and photography is hard work, as expeditions require intense physical and mental effort, but with good organization and coffee in hand, it is feasible. Investing time in visual art is a very important tool to attract society and empower them with the value of biodiversity and to appreciate the work of those who dedicate their lives to science and conservation.