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How Environmental Photography Can Help Save Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems

Photos of sea turtles mistaking plastic bags for jellyfish have inspired beach cleanups and plastic-free living around the world. Photography can be a powerful tool to inspire, raise awareness, create emotional connection, and catalyse political and public action.

When it comes to threatened and endangered species, photography can also be leveraged for good. Australia is home to a vast array of landscapes, endemic wildlife and plants, and unique ecosystems – many of which face a myriad of challenges threatening their survival.

By capturing both the beauty and vulnerability of nature in Australia, environmental photography can help threatened species and ecosystems. This is what inspired the annual  Nature in Focus Photography Competition, now open to submissions until September 7, 2026.

‘Bearded Dragon NSW’ by Patricia Constantino (2025 Nature in Focus entry)

Photography’s role in Conservation

1. Sparking an Emotional Connection with Nature

It’s often only once people have an emotional connection to something that they take action to protect it. For many people, habitat loss or endangered species decline can seem abstract and unrelated to their lives.

But, a single striking photo of an endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot, or Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, can convey a story that sparks an emotional connection. This can foster the start of understanding more about species, ecosystems and their connection with our lives.

2. Supporting Citizen Science

Digital photography and smart tech has turned everyday nature enthusiasts into citizen scientists. There are many apps enabling Australians to become citizen scientists and to document the biodiversity they see around them. This includes, for example, iNaturalist and the DigiVol wildlife spotting app.

By uploading photos of fauna and flora along with location data, you can help conservationists map species, monitor changes to ecosystems, and even track the recovery and rewilding of specific plants. This can be fun and easy for the whole family to do when you’re out on a bushwalk, or enjoying a day out at a park or beach.

‘Dryandra Echidna’ by Evelyn Hales (2025 Nature in Focus entry).

3. Raising Awareness about Endangered Plants and Animals

Photos can also help raise awareness about the plight of threatened plants and animals. By capturing a moment in time, a unique perspective and sharing visual observations – these photos can help tell powerful stories. We’ve all seen the photos of polar bears on tiny blocks of floating ice, a powerful visual reminder that the polar ice caps are melting due to climate change and how that is having an impact on wildlife there.

Check out our Instagram page for some wildlife photo inspiration, or look at these previous year’s Nature in Focus photo competition winners’ pics and how they helped raise awareness about the importance of our natural world!

4. Advocating for Threatened Ecosystems

Photos can help act as a catalyst for change. Photos of nature can not only show the beauty and resilience of nature, but how it’s being threatened by development, pollution, or climate change. These images can then be used in campaigns to advocate for change – powerful and shareable content that show evidence of what’s at stake and to inspire changemakers, communities, and policymakers about what needs to be done to build back nature and protect our planet.

Get Involved in Conservation: Take Photos for the Planet

‘Bird in the sunset’ by Bailey (2025 Nature in Focus entry).

At CVA we believe that hands-on nature stewardship and community action are the keys to restoring our environment. That is why we are calling on all Australians—from young students to adult professionals—to pick up their cameras (or smartphones!) and show us how you keep Nature in Focus.

📷 Join the Nature in Focus Photography Competition!

Enter this year’s Nature in Focus Photography Competition – a nationwide celebration of Australia’s incredible biodiversity, aquatic wonderlands, and sustainability efforts. Entries close on the 7 September.

Whether you capture a curious bandicoot on a morning walk, a bustling community garden, or the raw beauty of our oceans and wetlands, we want to see it. With thousands of dollars in prizes across multiple age categories, it’s a fantastic opportunity for everyone to showcase their photographic skills while highlighting the importance of protecting our natural world.

Ready to make your photography count for conservation? Then grab your camera, get outside, and help us show the world why taking action for nature is so important!

→ For full guidelines, categories, and to submit your entries, check out the 2026 Nature in Focus Photography Competition.