Our own Stephen Nash, who has been the Scientific Illustrator for Conservation International for nearly twenty years, has written an article for the Journal of Threatened Taxa reflecting on his experiences as a wildlife artist and conservationist. His artwork has been the centerpiece for educational campaigns around the world; he has created vibrant, painstaking illustrations of a dizzying whirl of species: frogs from Suriname, chameleons from Madagascar, parrots from Brazil and sea turtles from every shore – but most especially he is known for his many hundreds of illustrations of the primates of the world, from silverback gorillas to golden lion tamarins.

His artwork has appeared in field guides, scientific journals and the descriptions of many new primate species, and his images have been reproduced on posters, stickers, t-shirts, buttons and men’s formal ties. The American Society of Primatologists has called his artwork the “taxonomic gold standard” for primate illustration, and in this new article he reflects on the deep interrelationship of art and the living world, from petroglyphs and the caves of Lascaux to the threatened cloudforests of the Peruvian Andes.

Here we present the abstract to his article, along with a link to his article in full:

Abstract: The need to appreciate the interconnectedness of all life on Earth has never been more important than it is today, as our own species, mostly through ignorance, threatens to unravel the rich biological tapestry of which we are a part, and upon which we ultimately depend. Art, and especially imagery, can play a crucial role in reestablishing the profound and vital link between ourselves as individuals and the natural world. Recognizing this, conservationists are making ever more use of illustration in education campaigns worldwide on behalf of endangered wildlife and ecosystems. In this article I have tried to articulate my own feelings about nature, to trace the path that led me to work in this specialized area of art, and to relate some of the lessons I have learned applying illustration to conservation.

The Journal of Threatened Taxa is a new online publication dedicated to the science of wildlife conservation; for more information and current articles, please visit their open-access website.

Reference

Nash, S. D. 2008. Some thoughts and reflections on the use of illustration in Biodiversity Education Campaigns. Journal of Threatened Taxa 1(1): 119-125.