With the natural world under serious threat, the powerful investigative work of photojournalists such as Canon Ambassador Brent Stirton on wildlife conservation issues, sustainability and the environment has never been more important.
Brent's work for international organisations including the Gates Foundation and Human Rights Watch, as well as publications including National Geographic, Le Figaro, GEO and Stern, has helped to raise the profile of conservation issues among audiences worldwide. As he says, "I'm in the business of influencing opinion".
In recent years his wildlife-related work has included stories on the rhino horn trade, pangolins in crisis and gorilla poaching. He is a Senior Correspondent for Getty Images, and has been involved with the New Big 5 project, set up by fellow photographer Graeme Green. The New Big 5 is a global initiative supported by photographers, wildlife experts and conservationists, including Dr Jane Goodall, with the protection of endangered species at its heart.
Here, Brent tells us how taking part in such initiatives, and capturing "irrefutable evidence" of the plight of animals in wildlife photo stories such as his graphic and upsetting documentation of rhino poaching, help him to ensure that action will be taken to protect them.