2020Vision: taking ecosystem thinking to a new level

The New Forest National Park is delighted to announce its support for 2020VISION, Britain’s most ambitious photography-based conservation initiative.

Twenty of the country’s top wildlife and nature photographers have, for the first time, come together with leading conservation partners to document the value of restoring Britain’s fragmented ecosystems and the life-support services they provide.

This elite phototeam will carry out 20 flagship assignments which clearly demonstrate the link between a healthy, robust natural landscape and the well-being of local people.   

The phototeam, which includes top shooters like Chris Packham, Joe Cornish, Charlie Hamilton-James and Andy Rouse, will be joined by videographers, sound recordists, writers and designers and will visit key locations throughout Britain where large habitats are being restored or re-connected, not only for the benefit of the wildlife species that live there, but for people too. The thousands of images and hours of footage generated from these assignments will then be woven into compelling narratives and presented in innovative ways up and down the country – working with local partners and communities.

Project Coordinator Peter Cairns said: ‘Ecosystem thinking is something that is now prevalent in the scientific and conservation community, but the value of a wilder Britain - where ecosystems function as they should - has not yet been communicated on a scale such as this. 2020VISION bridges that gap using the motivational language of inspiring photography, a language in which everyone can find relevance.’

Martin O’Neill, the New Forest National Park’s Director of Information and Visitor Services, said: ‘A healthy natural world is something we all depend upon so it makes sense for us to support initiatives like 2020VISION, which communicate often-complex messages with film and photography in a way that people can easily understand and relate to.’

Learn more about the project at: www.2020V.org