Turning Over a New Leaf: How Christina Selby Is Revolutionizing Plant Conservation

More on Christina Selby:

• Photographer Christina Selby Uses Visual Storytelling to Connect Us With the Natural World
• How Christina Selby is Using Photography to Encourage Others to be a ‘Voice for Nature’
• Creating Climate Resilience: The Art of the Refuge

A photograph is more than just something to look at. It can influence what we pay attention to, what we name, and what we choose to protect. In this episode, we talk with conservation photojournalist and visual artist Christina Selby. She shares her journey from growing up in the Midwest and studying ecology to exploring the mountains of the Southwest and the rivers of the Amazon. Christina shows how she combines science, art, and community in her work. She discusses her view of the “more-than-human world” and how this outlook helps people. We talk about telling powerful conservation stories using portraits of scientists and ranchers at work, sweeping landscapes, drone photos that help people connect with a place, and close-up shots that reveal details of plants and pollinators. We look at ways to show nature’s beauty without focusing only on the damage from clear-cutting and habitat loss, which can make people feel hopeless. We also share field stories, like mistaking the target species, hiking for miles, and searching for a rare bloom that took a week to find. These behind-the-scenes moments offer new insights into capturing amazing images.

We talk about plant blindness and how learning the names of plants in your backyard or local park can inspire care and curiosity. We discuss how sharing knowledge in the community can lead to real solutions. Our conversation touches on the changing alpine ecosystem in the southern Rockies, the hope offered by climate refuges, new ways to recover from wildfires that support biodiversity, and lessons from Korea. Christina also tells us about the International League of Conservation Photographers and how teamwork can bring attention to issues like giant salamanders and native sunflowers.

If you want to learn how photography can help protect nature or are looking for practical ways to reconnect with the world around you, this episode is for you. Tune in, share it with a friend who loves nature, and tell us your thoughts. What species will you learn to name in your backyard this week?

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