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International Photo Journalist |
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Australia’s largest state boasts more than 12,000 species of wildflowers. Over 60% of these plants are classified as endemic and are found nowhere else in the world. On an assignment for Australian Geographic magazine, I visited the three of the most important hotspots for biodiversity on the planet.
932 named plant species are found in the 26987 hectare Lesueur National Park . There are many plants yet to be named, not mentioned the ones that still await discovery. No full botanical survey has been done to date. Over 800 species of wildflowers have been described within Kalbarri National Park , 21 of them grow nowhere else. |
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Rabaul’s volcanoes, on the northern end of Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain, are the pressure valves above where two tectonic plates collide creating an inferno. The town is shaped by both natural disaster and the weight of history. Rabaul, although in a very remote corner of the earth, seems to be at a crossroad of cultures, of powerful nations. once a year, the volcano leaves centre stage and becomes a mere backdrop: This is when the annual mask festival is on. The National Mask Festival had its beginnings in 1995, a year after the devastating volcanic eruption. The idea was to celebrate the mask culture of the country. The yearly spectacle has the potential to become a major tourism draw card. It is still a festival for the people and a cultural celebration rather than a show for tourists. |
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Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri or Snowdonia National Park covers 2132 square kilometres and takes out a big chunk of the north-west of Wales. Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri is quite different to any Australian national park. The wilderness it protects is not really wilderness. Over centuries, human impact shaped this grand mountain reserve to a largely cultural landscape. Sheep freely roam the flanks and steep meadows of Mt. Snowdon and other peaks. Mining – copper, gold, slate - left its mark. Within its boundaries lie farms, villages and towns. More than 26.000 people live within the reserve’s borders. The mission statement of the National Park Authority of Snowdonia, published on their website, sounds therefore a little bit different to that of the Australian national park authorities. Its aims are “to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area; promote opportunities to understand and enjoy its special qualities; and to foster the economic and social well-being of its communities”. |
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51.800 hectare of subalpine wilderness with its many lakes and stunning mountain landscapes make this Tasmanian national park a superb destination for walkers and trekkers. The later can experience this diverse reserve – part of the enormous Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area – on multiday walks that require fitness and bush skills. The park lays adjacent to the popular Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park. Some of the more prominent landmarks bear biblical names that go back to the strongly religious early settlers of the lowlands to the north. The highest Point in the park is Mt. Jerusalem (1458 m). |
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Angorichina is a working sheep station that encompasses 500 square kilometres of mountains, creeks, gorges and hills in the central Flinders Ranges near the old copper mining town of Blinman. Owned by the Fargher family for four generation now, Ian and Di bought the original lease consisting of three leases – Oratunga, Angorichina and Artimore – in 1973. In 2000 they sold the Oratunga lease. The remaining two leases are marginal land, suitable for Merino sheep. For those with a sense of tradition, the original shearers quarters a few hundred meters away from the homestead, offer a glimpse into the past. |
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Nestled into the continents south east, Victorias Gippsland offers a wild frontier, harbouring rich histories and varied landscapes, from the snow frosted Australian Alps to the rugged and remote coast. Yet the living force that draws the region together is tall timber. For British botanist David Bellamy, this 21, 800 square kilometre wedge of the continent represents “The most diverse range of temperate forest ecosystems on Earth”. |
