Some of Britain's most accomplished wildlife photographers have joined forces to create a powerful visual documentation of the country's rapidly disappearing natural habitats and declining wildlife populations. The collaborative effort has resulted in a comprehensive book featuring dozens of striking images, designed to serve as what project leader Irene Amiet describes as "a manifesto to what is at stake" in the ongoing battle to preserve Britain's biodiversity.
Amiet, a Lancashire-based photographer who spearheads the Wilder Britain project from her home in the Ribble Valley, emphasized the critical importance of awareness in conservation efforts. "We can only feel nature's losses if we know what we stand to lose," she explained. According to Amiet, photographers are uniquely positioned to witness environmental changes because they "continuously observe the changes in our local landscapes and how wildlife numbers keep diminishing."
The project has drawn contributions from more than 60 photographers across the United Kingdom, with all proceeds from book sales being donated to the Rewilding Britain organization. The photographers have documented a wide range of species and habitats, from Marc Freebrey's observations of otters, which he described as watching "a frantic, elegant dance" as they chase fish, to intimate garden wildlife portraits like Rob Read's great tit captured in his Hampshire garden and Mark Kirkland's common frog spotted in a Glasgow pond.
Amiet's own photographic work has focused on monitoring her local owl population, which has experienced a dramatic decline following last year's harsh winter conditions. "You can't take anything for granted," she noted. "One minute you think you have a healthy population but then everything can change." This sentiment reflects the broader environmental challenges facing wildlife across Britain, where rapid habitat loss continues to threaten native species.
Across the country, photographers are documenting the increasing pressure on wildlife habitats caused by urban expansion and development. Sarah Drury, a Worcestershire-based photographer who captured images of Exmoor ponies in Somerset, highlighted how habitats are rapidly disappearing due to "expanding towns and construction." She warned that "each lost piece takes with it irreplaceable biodiversity and a little of our shared natural world," while maintaining hope that "through local conservation efforts and community awareness, there remains hope to restore habitats before they're gone forever."
The documentation extends to some of Britain's most endangered species, including the capercaillie, of which an estimated just over 500 individuals remain in the wild. Andrew Mason, a Staffordshire-based photographer who captured this rare bird, has witnessed what he describes as a "worrying" decrease in wildlife in his local area. "We're losing our butterflies, we're losing our bees, our insects," he explained, attributing much of the decline to agricultural practices. "We've seen a reduction in the birds because the farmers are cutting the hedgerows, taking away their food source for the winter."
Mason's observations reflect a broader pattern of ecosystem disruption that extends beyond individual species to entire food webs. "It's really quite upsetting," he added, though he acknowledged that some positive conservation efforts are underway. However, he stressed the urgency of the situation: "We really have to work at this if we stand a chance of saving what we've got left."
The photographic collection also features some of Britain's most specialized and vulnerable species, including the country's only venomous snake, the adder, captured by Mike Phelps during a still March morning in Staffordshire. Shropshire photographer Andrew Fusek Peters contributed images of black darter dragonflies, a species that required several years of searching to locate and photograph successfully.
Peters explained that these dragonflies favor roosting spots in the reed beds on the Long Mynd in Shropshire, but face significant threats from environmental changes. "Sadly, climate change and the drying up of the shallow bog pools they favour for breeding has seen a precipitous decline of this iconic species," he said. Despite these challenges, he described the magical experience of finding them: "Dawn is a magical time and if you are lucky, you might find a male and a female drenched in dew, glittering like Faberge broaches in the early sunshine." He noted that "determined conservation efforts are underway to reverse their fate."
The dedication required to capture these images is exemplified by photographers like Alastair Marsh, whose striking image of two brown hares boxing in the snow was the result of spending an entire week lying in freezing conditions. Such commitment underscores the passion and determination driving these photographers to document Britain's wildlife before it's too late.
The Wilder Britain book is being published by Wilder World, representing a collaborative effort between the artistic and conservation communities to raise both awareness and funds for habitat restoration and species protection. The project serves as both an artistic achievement and a urgent call to action, combining the power of visual storytelling with practical conservation efforts to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing modern Britain.
