You can’t save what you can’t see: images allow the discovery of biological diversity, creating the knowledge and the emotional impact necessary for the development of new forms of awareness and action.

Representations of biodiversity reflect the relationships between society and the environment, express the value we accord it according to different historical moments, and accompany our perception of the relationships that exist between the animal, plant and mineral worlds.

Images play a role in the generation of cultural geographic imaginaries and ecological sensibilities, but they do not always represent the complexity of ecosystems. They may therefore conceal rather than reveal contemporary environmental and social issues, reproducing the separation of culture and nature, instead of showing human societies as integral parts of biodiversity. We often focus on the representation of “charismatic megafauna,” forgetting that the concept of biodiversity implies two other levels: not only species diversity but also genetic and ecosystem diversity.

The rapid rate of species loss over the past two decades has spurred the creation of visual archives and multimedia databases on biodiversity: “ARKive.org” has created a visual inventory for more than 16,000 species, “The Encyclopedia of Life” intends to provide “global access to knowledge about life on Earth,” and “The IUCN Red List” ranks species according to their risk of extinction.