After what seems like a long time in the planning, this month sees the launch of 2020VISION, Britain’s most ambitious photography-based conservation initiative ever! 20 of the country’s top wildlife and nature photographers have come together with leading conservation partners to document the value of restoring Britain’s battered ecosystems. Over the course of 20 months, the 2020 Phototeam will carry out 20 flagship assignments, which demonstrate the link between healthy ecosystems and healthy people.

The project website has gone live today and will be officially launched at a landmark conference in Edinburgh on April 19, attended by many of Europe’s top conservationists and policy makers.

To find out more about this exciting project please take at look at www.2020v.org

Some good news for red squirrels. According to a report from the Scottish Wildlife Trust's 'Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels' project, one of our favourite British mammals is beginning to return to areas of Scotland where they have not been seen for years. This is largely at the expense of the non-native grey squirrel whose numbers are being controlled to encourage reds to increase and expand their range as well as taking measures to prevent the spread of squirrelpox virus. Killing one species to safeguard another may not necessarily be palatable to everyone and is a contentious aspect of nature conservation. And it's not the greys fault of course having been introduced by us but I must admit that I'd rather have reds in my local wood given the choice. They're just so much more attractive than their American cousins!

To donate or get involved visit the project web site.

Europe's red kite population has crashed by 30-40% due largely to an increase in the incidence of scavenging the poisoned carcasses of voles, rats, foxes and even wolves. Spain, which holds half of the world population of red kites, has seen a 50% reduction in breeding pairs whilst alarming figures are also reported from France, Germany and Eastern Europe. This is in direct contrast to the situation here in the UK that has seen kites brought back from the brink to a breeding population of 1,600 pairs following a series of successful reintroduction programmes. Despite this success red kites continue to be persecuted in northern Scotland and there have been several recent incidents of poisoning and shooting in Northern Ireland since a reintroduction initiative began there in 2008.

Largely as a consequence of the new direction that my photography has been taking over the past few years, I have teamed up with long-time colleague Peter Cairns and fellow conservation-minded photographers to form the Wild Media Foundation. This has been set-up as a social enterprise and aims to promote environmental education and awareness through thought-provoking imagery and story-telling.

Take a look at our web site to find out more. www.wildmedia.org