A single story has the power to change the world. It is through storytelling that we share ideas, spark the imagination, and connect to one another. Photography offers a visually compelling way to share stories and reach a wide audience.
Our 2022 competition focused on looking for conservation projects across the globe that were captured visually to tell their story and highlight their use of the Conservation Standards. Our hope is that these photo stories will inspire organizations and individuals currently using or interested in the Standards.
View the three winners from this year’s competition who inspired us with their visual storytelling and impactful programs.
CMP Photo Story Competition Winners
Cranes and communities: a case study in Eastern Africa
1st place in the CMP photo story competition. By International Crane Foundation and Endangered Wildlife Trust. This photo story explores the delicate relationship between the African crowned crane and the communities that live in its habitat. Through the eyes of community, this case study explores how the Conservation Standards are used to develop solutions to conserve cranes in eastern Africa.
Operation tortoise transport: a case study in the Central African Republic
2nd place in the CMP photo story competition. By the Wildlife Conservation Society – Central Africa Republic. This photo story features a real-life scenario experienced by a team of rangers in the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park in the Central Africa Republic. Their use of the Conservation Standards has allowed them to establish a process for dealing with wildlife traffickers and this story exemplifies their implementation strategy as they save a small group of tortoises.
The Great Lakes’ largest marsh: a case study in Point Pelee
3rd place in the CMP photo story competition. By Parks Canada. This photo story highlights one of the largest marsh ecosystems in the Great Lakes and the invasion of non-native plants introduced to the marsh and the battle to eliminate them. This habitat-focused story follows the progress of Parks Canada in using the Conservation Standards to conserve Point Pelee.
CMP Photo Story Honorable Mentions
This story shares the work of The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) in Chile to maintain protection of Chilean palm trees through the use of the Conservation Standards.
This story features the work of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary in New Zealand and explores the diverse range of indigenous fauna and the sanctuary’s efforts to protect them by using the Conservation Standards.
More about the photo story competition.
Members of the Conservation Measures Partnership and other practitioners of the Conservation Standards were challenged to submit a visual story through a series of no more than 10 photographs illustrating their experience using the Conservation Standards to address a challenge in their project areas. Similar to past Conservation Measures Partnership competitions, the photo story competition called for projects that feature the Standards as a central part of their conservation strategy. The competition was judged by a group of volunteer judges who come from varying backgrounds including storytelling, photography, conservation, and data science. The winners of this competition were judged based on the creativity of their photo story, the portrayal of the Conservation Standards in their project, the competitors ability to showcase a project that has gone full cycle, and the integration of healthy communities as a part of the solution.
