Wildlife photography in National Geographic

Wildlife photography in National Geographic

From 1986 to 1990, National Geographic's glossy pages heavily featured "charismatic megafauna": photogenic animals that romanticized nature and appealed to people's empathy. Carefully framed to convey certain messages, these photographs raised awareness of growing problems like global warming - clearly alluded to in the Arctic fox cover - and enhanced people's appreciation for species protection and the wilderness idea. In the context of environmental disasters like the Yellowstone Fires, wildlife imagery enabled people to see that animal's lives were at stake - not merely inanimate habitat. Perhaps these images also spurred political action, as in 1987, the U.S. and Canada negotiated the "Agreement on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd."

National Geographic

National Geographic

1986 - 1990