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Margot Raggett has devoted the last ten years to raising funds for conservation efforts around the world, but now she expresses concern about the future outlook. "It seems like we've regressed," she remarked.

Through her Remembering Wildlife series—an annual, not-for-profit photo collection featuring photographs from the leading wildlife artists—she has collected 1.2 million pounds over the last decade. The inaugural volume was released in 2015, coinciding with the drafting of the Paris accord, but since then, initiatives to tackle the environmental emergency have faced setbacks.

Relative to a few years ago, there was a desire for renewables rather than fossil fuel extraction across the world. I think the value of nature is something for us all to hold onto.

Nevertheless, she maintains some optimism. "I'm nervous but at the same time I'm heartened by the fact that there are numerous individuals that continue to show concern. I'll do everything I can to fulfill my commitment and keep fighting. And I know there's lots of other people who share this view, so only the future will reveal, but we certainly can't be complacent."

An Unsettling Graphic Warning of What Could Be

This latest publication, called Ten Years of Remembering Wildlife, features unaltered and altered pictures of animals such as arctic bears, big cats, and scaled mammals living in and then erased from their natural habitats.

Raggett explained these images were intended to be "provocative" and to provide a glimpse of the what lies ahead if we continue as we are. "The pace of wildlife decline is so rapid worldwide and there's a significant effort to be done to reverse it. We might actually be facing a future where these settings would be without these wild animals," she said. "This is the reason we produced it, to cause reflection and realise what could happen if we don't take action."

Worries Close to Home

While the majority of her professional work has taken her to far-off places like Kenya, Tanzania, and the Himalayas, she also has apprehensions about situations in her native land. The administration has pledged to build 1.5 million houses by the end of its first term in parliament.

In support of this, ministers have directed the ecological authority to approve development proposals in England with minimal resistance, a decision that has alarmed conservation advocates. Earlier this month, it was revealed that a top figure boasted about unblocking a development of 20,000 homes that was being held up by "protected species on the site."

Raggett urged a "massive pause" on the government's "near-sighted" plans for accelerated housebuilding. "It's crucial to recognise is that we are all connected with the environment," she asserted. "It's very easy in a developed country like ours to not understand the part every animal plays in our ecosystem, how they keep our trees growing and the effect that has on removing CO2 from the atmosphere.

"In my opinion, in this nation, there are sufficient previously developed land that ought to be repurposed before you sacrifice additional countryside. We've already sacrificed plenty. I think there needs to be a massive pause."

Motivation from Tragedy

Raggett was inspired to establish the Remembering Wildlife initiative after coming across an pachyderm that had been a prey of poaching in Kenya. "He had a toxic projectile in him and then he started to be eaten by hyenas. I was so shocked and I felt so powerless… so I was determined to try and do something about it," she recalled.

She commented that efforts to clamp down on wildlife crime have been varied. "The impact of poaching rhinos for their horns in South Africa continues to be horrific. I have friends who are located there and the rate of illegal killing is alarming but there have been some wins too. China outlawing elephant tusks a few years ago definitely has had an impact but then it pops up in the illegal trade elsewhere in Asia," she explained.

Tackling consumer desire, especially in Asia where poaching products are used in traditional medicines, is one of the most important ways to combat the issue, Raggett said. "Illegal hunting is still a massive illegal enterprise and it's not going anywhere. It's still very much rampant."

Remembering a Legendary Primatologist

Earlier in October, the world-renowned primate expert Jane Goodall passed away at the age of 91. Raggett had met her in 2018. "I was amazed by her work ethic and perseverance. She had just gotten off a overnight trip from Tanzania. At my age, I'd be having a nap the next morning and yet she had a queue of people waiting to have meetings with her. She was completely motivating and supportive and had real humility in how she communicated," she reflected. "She has a extraordinary heritage full of insight, and humour as well."