From Digital Camera World · · 1m 40s
How one photographer saved a Falklands island
An English naturalist bought a ravaged island in 1972 and restored it into a haven for millions of seabirds.
In brief
An English naturalist bought a ravaged island in 1972 and restored it into a haven for millions of seabirds. Photography and conservation work together: Ian Jon Strange used his camera to document and protect wildlife, turning New Island into a sanctuary that now hosts over two million breeding seabirds. Originally…
A photographer's bold purchase
In 1972, English naturalist Ian Jon Strange and Falklands resident Roddy Napier bought New Island to save it from ecological collapse caused by whaling, farming, and introduced predators.
Stopping the damage
Strange and Napier ended whaling, phased out farming, removed livestock, and shifted the island's focus to research and low-impact wildlife tourism.
A lifetime of conservation work
Strange spent decades studying bird colonies, publishing ten books on the Falklands, and serving as environmental advisor to the Ministry of Defence from 1982 to 2013. He received an MBE in 1992.
Millions of birds now thrive
New Island now hosts five penguin species, black-browed albatrosses, and over two million breeding pairs of thin-billed prions on less than nine miles of land.
Photography as conservation tool
Strange's photographs and books built the case for protecting Falklands wildlife long before modern documentaries, proving that images can drive environmental action.
“An island made famous by photography, saved partly because of it”
A legacy that endures
Strange died in 2018 at age 84. Falklands Conservation now continues his work, and New Island holds Important Bird Area and Key Biodiversity Area status.
Accessible only through images
New Island remains remote and difficult to reach. Most people will only experience it through photographs, making Strange's visual legacy the primary way the world knows this sanctuary.
The one thing
Photography and conservation work together: Ian Jon Strange used his camera to document and protect wildlife, turning New Island into a sanctuary that now hosts over two million breeding seabirds.
