Nature’s Edge has been working in various countries in the Americas since its inception in 2003. The projects tend to be multi-year initiatives, and are typically in concert with local biologists, museums, art galleries and government agencies in the countries where the projects occur. Some of the projects are summarized below. There is also a list of Exhibits, Publications, Contributions and Installations.
United States
We are currently involved in a long term project to document special places across the United States that are under pressure from industrialization and development. A location is chosen in each state to illustrate the idea that we are close to losing places that are unique and irreplaceable. These are places typically in our own backyard, places that frequently don’t get much notice or are taken for granted. They usually have some special, hidden aspect. The project is using the medium of aerial photography to show these places in a different light.
Suriname
Nature’s Edge worked with an entomologist from the National Zoological Collection of Suriname/Center for Environmental Research Anton de Kom at the University of Suriname, and a biologist from the Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay, to document the country’s small fauna in various locations. Suriname is one of the most biodiverse places on earth.
Nicaragua
Nature’s Edge was proud to participate in a project to study and photograph the insects of the Domitila Private Wildlife Reserve in Nicaragua, the only remaining dry tropical forest area in the country. The project was led by the Museum of Entomology in Leon, Nicaragua. We were also supported by one of our frequent collaborators, a biologist from the the University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay. The reserve is part of an important biodiversity corridor extending throughout Central America and is one of the last intact examples of this topography. The book that resulted from the project was written by the Director of the Museum in Leon, and is a field guide to the invertebrates of the reserve. The book is titled “Nicaragua, Crónicas del micromundo del Bosque Tropical Seco de Domitila”.
Uruguay
Our organization has participated in multiple activities in Uruguay, documenting the small fauna of the country for education, artistic and research purposes. One of the major projects was supporting entomologists from the Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas Clemente Estable in Montevideo by photographing the arachnids of the country to produce a field guide. This work has resulted in numerous materials for the general public concerning the importance of arachnids. The field guide to the spiders, opilions and scorpions of Uruguay was presented at the Primer Congreso Uruguayo de Zoología, X Jornadas de Zoología del Uruguay, December 5-10, 2010, in Montevideo, with a presentation and series of lectures. A second edition of the guide has been produced. The project has resulted in numerous scientific papers, including reports of new behaviors not previously seen in nature.
The project also resulted in a large, open air exhibit in Montevideo in a public park, Parque Rosedal. It consisted of 80 photos of arachnids, 3 ft. by 5 ft. in size, winding throughout a section of the park to illustrate the beauty of the country’s arachnids. The project has also spun off related initiatives such as the use of some of the photos in an online children’s magazine and some publications in general interest online magazines.
In a separate project, we worked with the Ministry of the Environment of the Uruguayan government and biologists from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of the Republic. For the first phase of this project, we created a permanent installation of photos of the flora and fauna of the national parks in the visitor’s centers of some of the primary national parks in the country. For phase two we launched a traveling photographic exhibition about Uruguayan nature for the general public, as well as educational materials for children in the schools. Photographs were also used by biologists for their scientific research.
Dominican Republic
Nature’s Edge was part of an initiative to create educational materials for the general public focused on the flora and fauna of the Dominican Republic. As part of this project, our photos were used in the Dominican Republic Pavilion during Expo 2005, the World’s Fair, in Aichi, Japan, to illustrate the theme “Nature’s Wisdom”. A majority of the work has been in support of Grupo Jaragua in the Dominican Republic, and of biologists from the National Natural History Museum in Havana, Cuba. The photos have been multi-use. They have contributed to scientific research papers, lectures, educational materials, materials supporting Jaragua National Park, and a book for the public on the invertebrates of the country. In support of the national Natural History Museum in Santo Domingo, we had an exhibit on invertebrates that correlated with the museum’s reinauguration in 2007.
Cuba
Nature’s Edge has done extensive work with Cuban biologists from the National Natural History Museum in Havana to document the flora and fauna of Cuba. This has resulted in: contributions to educational materials for biologists and tourists, such as photo keys, field guides, posters for exhibits in the museum, and materials for publicity; contributions to academic research materials authored by the biologists; and numerous public art exhibits in collaboration with Cuban artists to promote interest in environmental conservation on the part of the general public. Research materials produced have communicated and documented new information about various species, including recording species and behaviors that are new to science, and have utilized our photos.
Other Photographic Expeditions
Our organization has documented small fauna in numerous other countries in the Americas, providing material for numerous scientific expeditions to create research and educational materials, to include the following countries.
Costa Rica
Expedition with biologists to photograph arachnids for research purposes.
Grenada
Expedition with biologist from the Faculty of Sciences in Montevideo, Uruguay. Resulting materials were provided to the Forestry and National Parks Department of Grenada for educational purposes.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Expedition with biologists to photograph arachnids for research purposes.
Saba
Exploratory expedition to photograph small fauna, with an emphasis on arachnids, in support of scientific research.
Ecuador
This expedition was the impetus for the formation of Nature’s Edge. The expedition was to the Yasuni Scientific Station, and was co-sponsored by the Field Museum of Natural History and The Smithsonian Institution. The photos are part of the documentation of plant species over a 20 hectare region of the Amazon rain forest. These photos are used in a database by the Museum to expand the knowledge of what species exist in this area, to catalogue the plants and to help others identify indigenous plants.