For this conservation filmmaker, preserving wildlife starts with uplifting people

As a wildlife filmmaker and researcher, Laurie Hedges revels in encountering rare species. He has spent his life travelling to the ends of the Earth to get a closer look at these creatures. But throughout his journeys, there was only one thing that became clearer – wildlife’s impending fate. To save them from extinction, Hedges turned his focus to the people who have lived beside animals for centuries. With their help, he’s developing lasting change for the world’s most endangered species. 

Hedges' work has been instrumental in safeguarding large carnivorous mammals around the globe. From Rwanda to Costa Rica, he has filmed in some of the most remote locations. His photos even yielded the first ever density estimate of Malaysia’s melanistic leopard by using infra-red camera traps. But with more than 7 000 critically endangered species worldwide, Hedges knew his work had only just begun. “Despite it now being common knowledge that our animals are going extinct, poaching and deforestation is still rampant,” he says. While in the field, he realised that locals played a vital role in preserving species. Many villagers who are unable to find employment turn to poaching to feed their families. To end this suffering at its source, Hedges joined forces with people on the ground. 

With his films, Hedges collaborates with researchers, NGOs, and locals to promote respect and appreciation for the natural world. “Fighting for conservation justice means working with people to preserve a world that people can thrive in alongside a healthy environment,” he says. Hedges’ work has shed light on the plight of threatened species such as the Baird’s tapir, western hoolock gibbon, and clouded leopard. Teaming up with Cinematic Science, he works closely with community organisations to train residents in filmmaking, providing them with the skills and equipment to tell their own stories and create positive awareness. “Preserving species and our environment means empowering people,” Hedges says. Guided by compassion, he is reframing the future of humans and their wild neighbours.