Over the last few years Wiki Loves Earth has captured many stunning photographs of very unique protected places. The world has capture somethings that have already been lost, whether it to fire, flooding, or some other natural event. We have also lost places at the hand of man some intentional developments like the clearly for roads, crops, and timber. Others more subtle be it seed collectors looking for rare plants, insect collectors look for that one unique specimen. One the more subtle impacts is that cultural desecration, that is entering sites and causing offence to the Indigenous communities.
In Australia when WMAU joined WLE we took a stance of "Take only photos, Leave only footprints''[1] it's a saying attributed to the Baltimore Grotto[2] that was concerned about what impact their activities will have on the environment they want to enjoy. Back our judging when we started review each years submissions we chose to eliminate photographs that obviously stepped over that mark like photographs from on top of Uluru where the traditional owners have asked that people respect the site's cultural significance and don't climb it.
In 2018 we decided to keep to the leave only footprint but chose to highlight what happens when it isn't followed. In the One mans trash we have an Octopus taking shelter in a can. The can is likely there because fishermen throw open tins of cat food into the water to attract fish. The other image Bush fire in the Blue Mountains is of a controlled burn or cold fire[3] they are started to prevent out of control fires occurring during the summer months. Even then they impact the environment not as greatly as an uncontrolled bush fire which wipes away most of the Flora and Fauna these fire still cause harm, impact on breeding, flowering and seed production to protect the property of man and lives.
This year we ask that participants practice Take only photos, leave only footprints when creating those magical images of our environment that are so important and may day one be the only record we have of what we had. While you are out there help reduce the impact of man by either taking away the rubbish or contacting the local authority and reporting things that are causing harm so they can. That piece of glass you walk past today may next summer starts the fire that destroys the last stand of Wollemi pines. — The Australian WLE team
References
edit- ^ "Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints". PhotoNaturalist - nature photography tips and tutorials. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ "Take Nothing But Pictures". eNotes. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
- ^ Whitehurst, R., 1997. Noongar Dictionary. 2nd ed. Bunbury: Excelsior Print.