Combining scientific research with filmmaking, Laurie Hedges is enabling people to see the world’s greatest environmental challenges in a new light. He began his work in conservation by using camera traps to protect tigers and leopards in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar. In the field, he came up with a novel way of monitoring melanistic leopards, more commonly known as black panthers. These animals appear monochrome, but have spots that aren’t identifiable with the naked eye. By manipulating the light sensors on cameras, Hedges and his team were able to capture the big cat’s patterns, and in doing so, more accurately identify the creatures and report on their population and movement.
In the years since, Hedges has focused not just on animals, but the people who live alongside them. Particularly in marginalised regions, Hedges trains locals to take their own photos and then leaves behind cameras for them to continue the work he started. “If I could teach the world one thing, it would be preserving species and our environment means empowering people,” Hedges says. “It’s a mistake to look at conservation as humans versus wildlife and humans versus the environment.” We’re all in this together. And while human impact has contributed to the loss of plant and animal life, Hedge’s work shows us that we can also be the solution.
Footage by Laurie Hedges was used in the creation of this film.