World’s landscapes may soon be ‘devoid of wild animals’, says nature photographer | Climate crisis

Margot Raggett has spent the last decade raising money for conservation causes around the world, but now she's nervous about the future. “It feels like we’ve taken a step back,” she said.

A wildlife photographer has raised £1.2million over the past 10 years through his Remembering programme. Wildlife The series is an annual non-profit picture book featuring animal images taken by the world's top nature photographers. The first edition was published in 2015, as the Paris Climate Agreement was being drafted, but efforts to combat the climate crisis have since been scaled back.

Under Donald TrumpThe US withdrew from the agreement in 2020. Joe Biden reversed the decision the following year, but on the first day of his second term as president, Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the agreement again. In the UK, both the Conservatives and the Reform Party have pledged to abandon the 2050 net-zero emissions target if they come to power.

“Compared to a few years ago, there is a desire around the world to use renewable energy instead of drilling for oil. I think the importance of nature is something we should all cling to,” Raggett said.

Despite this, she has some hope. “I'm nervous, but at the same time I'm encouraged by the fact that so many people still seem to care. I'll do everything in my power to hold up my end of the bargain and keep fighting. And I know there are a lot of other people who feel the same way, so time will tell, but we certainly can't be complacent.”

As a timely reminder of just how dangerous the outlook is for wildlife at the moment, this year's edition, titled Ten Years of Wildlife Remembrance, is published alongside original and altered images of animals including polar bears, cheetahs and pangolins living in and then being purged from their natural habitats.

Raggett said the images were intended to be “provocative” and provide a glimpse of the future if we remain on our current path. “The rate of decline of wildlife around the world is very high and there is a lot of work to be done to reverse this trend. We could actually see a future where these landscapes exist without these wild animals,” she said. “That's why we created this, to make people stop and realize what could happen if we don't take action.”

Although she has spent most of her photography career away from the UK, in Kenya, Tanzania and Bhutan, closer to home she has had some challenges. The government has pledged to build 1.5 million homes by the end of its first term in parliament.

As part of these efforts, ministers said The Environment Agency will refuse planning applications in England with minimal opposition, a move that has alarmed environmental campaigners. Earlier this month The Guardian disclosed that Rachel Reeves boasted of unblocking a development of 20,000 homes held back by “some snails on the site that are a protected species or something.”

Ragett called for a “big pause” on the government's “short-sighted” plans to accelerate housing construction. “Everyone needs to understand that we are all intertwined with nature,” she said. “In a built-up country like ours, it is very easy to not understand the role each species plays in our ecosystem, how they support the growth of our trees and the impact this has on clearing carbon from the atmosphere.

“I feel like there's enough brownfields in this country that could and should be redeveloped before you lose any more countryside. We've already lost so much. I think there needs to be a big pause.”

Ragett was inspired to create Remembering Wildlife after he came across a poached elephant in Kenya. “It had a poison arrow in it and then hyenas started eating it. I was so terrified and felt so powerless… so I was determined to try and do something about it,” she said.

She said efforts to curb illegal poaching have been mixed. “The impact of poaching rhinos for their horns in South Africa remains horrific. I have friends who live there and the level of poaching is shocking, but there have been some victories. China's ivory ban a few years ago definitely had an impact, but then it comes up in the illegal trade in other parts of Asia,” she said.

Meeting demand, especially in Asia where poached products are used in traditional medicines, is one of the most important ways to reduce the practice, Raggett said. “Poaching is still a huge criminal business and it's not going away. It's still thriving.”

Earlier in October, world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall died at the age of 91. Raggett met her in 2018. “I was amazed by her work ethic and determination. She had just gotten off an overnight flight from Tanzania. At my age I would have taken a nap the next morning and yet she had a line of people waiting to meet her. She was completely inspiring and encouraging and there was a real humility in her conversation,” she said. “She has a wonderful legacy, full of wisdom and humor.”