@unbiodiversity

Striding in sync. This shot was captured while @DereckJoubert and I were filming “Eye of the Leopard”, and it epitomises the special relationship these cats shared. Two leopards – one a doting mom, the other an exuberant cub – walking together, their paws mirrored in perfect unison. We first came across this cub in the wilds of Botswana’s magnificent Mombo region when she was just eight days old and named her Legadema – light of the sky. Over the next four years, we spent countless hours with her, gaining an unprecedented glimpse into the life of a wild leopard as we documented her journey from hapless cub to formidable predator. The experience was life-changing and marked the start of our own journey devoted to the conservation of leopards and other big cats. Alongside @NatGeo and the @GreatPlainsFoundation , we started the Big Cats Initiative – a project that has funded more than 150 conservation projects in 28 countries in the last decade. Habitat loss, overhunting, the illegal wildlife trade and other conflicts with humans all pose significant threats to Africa's big cats, but focused conservation efforts can turn that around. If we work together, cats like Legadema will be striding into a much more promising future. #leopard #bigcats #bigcatsinitiative #bigcatsofinstagram #EyeoftheLeopard #wildlife

Photographing landscapes and animals from the air provides an entirely new perspective – one that is often enlightening and awe-inspiring. Experiencing the vast, dry landscape of Botswana's Makgadikgadi salt pans from the air constantly takes my breath away, and offers a humbling look at the harsh conditions under which many species must prevail. While soaring over the pans, I was able to admire animal tracks imprinted on the parched earth almost like water colour paintings. Zebra herds usually traverse this landscape in the heat of the day when the sun is directly overhead. On the day this shot was taken, they moved later in the afternoon providing an amazing opportunity to capture an image of the striped animals with their shadows outstretched across the mineral enriched waters of the Makgadikgadi salt pans #zebra #aerial #Makgadikgadi #Botswana #naturephotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #africa

It's hard to imagine a world without rhinos, but it's a plausible reality if poaching continues to decimate populations at such a rapid rate. At least one rhino is killed every day for its horn, which is sought after for use in ornamental carvings and traditional medicine. The precious horns are made of keratin – the same substance as hooves and fingernails – which has no proven medicinal properties. Despite this, rising demand has led to rampant poaching, putting strain on protected areas and the men and women who fight to conserve them. But hope is not lost. Through collaborative action and hard work we can save this imperiled species. This shot was taken during a relocation that forms part of our Rhinos Without Borders initiative – a project spearheaded by the @GreatPlainsFoundation that aims to move threatened rhinos to safer grazing grounds. To date, 87 rhinos have been moved and the newly established population has shown signs of growth. We hope for a time when we won't have to carry out these kinds of extreme conservation measures, where rhinos (and other wild species) are safe and protected. But until that day comes, we will continue to fight every day for their future. #rhinohornisnotmedicine #whenthebuyingstopsthekillingcantoo #rhinos #worldrhinoday #savetherhino #conservation #rhinoswithoutborders

Denizens of the Delta. A herd of elephants quench their thirst at one of the Okavango Delta’s many spillways. Water is at the heart of this pristine ecosystem in Botswana's far north which provides a stronghold for species threatened by poaching and conflict with humans. Every year, as floodwaters flow onto the flatlands, they transform the landscape, nourishing the soil and providing sustenance to an array of wild animals. Elephants are a key part of this intricate ecosystem. As they move through the drenched landscape, they help forge pathways in the dense reeds and thick vegetation providing passage for other species to access the life- giving water and safely traverse their habitats. But just as the landscape and its myriad species are dependent on the services of elephants, so too do these grey giants rely on the floodplains for their huge water needs. Elephants must drink hundreds of litres of water a day to sustain their huge bodies – something that is particularly important when temperatures soar as these animals can lose as much as 10% of their total body water a day. As long as lost stores can be quickly replenished, this shouldn’t be a problem, but in a world that’s rapidly warming and on a continent increasingly plagued by drought, waterholes and water-rich plants are becoming ever more scarce. For massive mammals with water needs to match, this spells trouble ahead. #Elephants #Okavango #OkavangoDelta #Botswana #Photography #thejoyofelephants #thisismytrophy #wildlife #wildlife_seekers #live_love_wildlife #wildlifephotography

I have spent much of life documenting Africa's big cats, immersing myself in their secretive worlds to better understand them and what needs to be done to ensure their protection. Commanding and formidable, this full-maned lion is the quintessence of a dominant male. As he turned to the side to scan for intruders, a light breeze fluffed up his mane, and I snapped this portrait that captures his grandeur and majesty. Although they are one of Africa's most iconic predators, lions are in trouble. These big cats have been eradicated from 90% of their historic range due to habitat loss, poaching, and conflict with humans. In the pockets of sub-Saharan Africa where they still maintain strongholds, their future is increasingly uncertain. Protecting and expanding space for lions to roam safely has been at the heart of my conservation work for decades. It’s simply impossible to imagine an Africa without them. #lion #bigcats #bigcatsofinstagram #bigcatsinitiative #naturephotography #conservation #nature #photooftheday #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Hi all, I’m Beverly Joubert (@BeverlyJoubert ), a National Geographic Explorer-at-Large and wildlife photographer. I’m excited to be taking over as guest editor for @unbiodiversity this week to share my passion for Africa’s wildlife, landscapes and people, and the urgent need to protect them. I have spent the last 35 years capturing images of some of Africa’s most iconic species in an effort to not only tell their stories and celebrate their splendour, but also to draw attention to the declining state of our biodiversity and the current threats facing the environment. As a devoted conservationist involved in a number of projects to help safeguard wild species and spaces, much of my work goes beyond traditional wildlife photography to reveal what it takes to protect our planet’s incredible biodiversity. Join me this week as I bring you a selection of photos that I hope will fill you with wonder and curiosity and inspire you to do your bit as we work towards a brighter future. If you aren’t doing something about the atrocities to nature, but know about them, then you are complicit. Now is the time to act. #photographer #biodiversity #nature #animals #globe #conservation

Today is my last post of the takeover, so I thought I’d share with you, one of my all-time favourite birds, the Tawny Frogmouth! As you can see their beaks are quite wide which is where they get their name. They are the masters of camouflage with their feather patterns. They are usually perched on a tree branch, camouflaging themselves as part of a tree. Tawny Frogmouths are nocturnal birds and are often confused with owls, but they are more closely related to nightjars. They are found all throughout Australia but can be hard to spot. They also have large yellow eyes which can be sometimes quite intimidating when they don't look away In the second image is a Tawny Frogmouth chick, closely keeping an eye on me. I made sure I was standing far away to make sure I did not cause distress to the chicks and the parent. If you would like to see more of my moody photographs, feel free to check out my page at @christine.c.w ! #biodiversity #ig_birdwatchers #ig_birds #ig_wildlife #wildlifephotography #birding #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdfreaks #birds_adored #birdsofaustralia #birdstagram #birds_captures #naturephotography #naturelovers #natureshots #natureaddict #australianwildlife #fantastic_earth

In this photo is a Channel-billed Cuckoo demanding food from its host parent, the Pied Currawong. One afternoon I could hear all this commotion and there it was, a Channel-billed Cuckoo chick asking the Currawong for more and more food. It was significantly larger than its host parent. The Channel-billed Cuckoo is a brood-parasite bird, meaning the brood-parasite species trick their targets by laying their eggs in the nests of others, forcing the host parents to take care of the parasite bird. The Currawong which is seen here is a usual target for the Channel-billed Cuckoo. It is unfortunately quite sad as they kick out the other eggs in the nest, but it is all a part of their survival. #biodiversity #ig_birdwatchers #ig_birds #ig_wildlife #wildlifephotography #birding #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdfreaks #birds_adored #birdsofaustralia #birdstagram #birds_captures #naturephotography #naturelovers #natureshots #natureaddict #australianwildlife #fantastic_earth

Today I am posting about the Torresian Crow. I shot this photo of a Torresian Crow when it was patiently waiting in the rain. These birds are in the Corvidae family. They're incredibly smart and personally I find them to be such a joy to observe. Very quirky. These birds are very, very similar to the other corvids we have here in Australia but their location and calls are what helps people to differentiate the species. Young crows have brown eyes instead of the light eyes you see in this photo. Yesterday I mentioned that the Ibis has a way to control cane toad populations and here is another bird known to expertly handle cane toads. Torresian Crows have been seen flipping over Cane Toads and then pecking the toads’ undersides to help with their numbers. Very beneficial. #biodiversity #ig_birdwatchers #ig_birds #ig_wildlife #wildlifephotography #birding #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdfreaks #birds_adored #birdsofaustralia #birdstagram #birds_captures #naturephotography #naturelovers #natureshots #natureaddict #australianwildlife #fantastic_earth

Here we have the Australian White Ibis in all its glory. Unfortunately, this species has been nicknamed "bin chicken", due to being seen scavenging around garbage. Recently this species has come to light because they have been seen using their "stress and wash" technique when it comes controlling cane toad populations. Cane toads are an invasive species to Australia and wreak havoc by killing lots of animals that get into contact with it due to their toxic secretions when stressed. Ibises deal with cane toads by picking them up and thrashing them about so the toad is forced to release all their toxins. After that, the ibis wipes the cane toad on wet grass or dunks them in water repeatedly to remove the toxins. After that they are able to consume them. There is also another species here that also aids in controlling cane toad populations... but that is for tomorrow! #biodiversity #ig_birdwatchers #ig_birds #ig_wildlife #wildlifephotography #birding #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdfreaks #birds_adored #birdsofaustralia #birdstagram #birds_captures #naturephotography #naturelovers #natureshots #natureaddict #australianwildlife #fantastic_earth

I am super excited to share these images with you all as I just love bats! Here in this post we have the Little Red Flying-fox and the Black Flying-fox. I absolutely love photographing bats, especially the Little Reds. They are seen in large clusters, all huddled up together, which I think is very sweet. One of the many things that I love about flying-foxes is that they play a huge role in keeping ecosystems together. These ones are Australia's only nocturnal, far travelling pollinators. Not only do they aid in pollination, they also help with seed dispersion. This is incredibly important as some eucalypts rely on certain species of flying-fox. There is also a creature that heavily relies on Eucalypts. That creature is the Koala. So! If we take out this keystone species, several species are likely to be impacted. I do not have any photos of any microbats yet but they too, play an important role by helping keep insect numbers down. :) #batsofinstagram #biodiversity #flyingfoxes #australianwildlife #wildlifeofaustralia #flyingfox #bats #naturelovers #naturegram #nature_perfection #naturephoto #fantastic_earth #discoverglobe #natureisbeautiful #earthpix #nature_brilliance

Hope everyone is having a nice day so far. Here I am introducing to you, the Australian Owlet-nightjar. This was from a recent encounter. It was very nice to come across this bird because I have only seen it a couple of times. I changed my camera's shutter to electronic shutter so it wouldn't scare it away or disturb it. I only saw it very briefly, but I am very grateful to have seen it and get this photo. These guys are the smallest nocturnal birds in Australia and are very widespread/common but it is rarely spotted. This is because they fly silently and their eyes do not reflect light when using a spotlight. Despite their owl like appearance they are not owls. The owlet-nightjar roosts in hollows but sometimes decide to sun themselves at the entrance of a hollow, which they also reuse for several years. #biodiversity #ig_birdwatchers #ig_birds #ig_wildlife #wildlifephotography #birding #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdfreaks #birds_adored #birdsofaustralia #birdstagram #birds_captures #naturephotography #naturelovers #natureshots #natureaddict #australianwildlife #fantastic_earth