Endangered animals, known as threatened or at-risk species, are facing a rapid and profound decline.
The loss of natural habitats, poaching, pollution, deforestation, climate change, and invasive species all act together, worsening a global biodiversity crisis.
In many regions, the survival of certain species is closely tied to local communities, who live in extreme environments and face harsh living conditions.
In these contexts, the relationship with wildlife is daily and complex: a source of resources, a risk, but also an essential part of the natural balance.
The protection of endangered species cannot be separated from the social and environmental reality that surrounds them; only by recognizing this connection is it possible to imagine a future in which animals and people can continue to share the same living space.
Conservation strategies must therefore take these relationships into account, valuing the active role of communities in safeguarding their territory.
Equally crucial is the work of rangers, often on the front lines against poaching.
With skill and courage, they protect the most vulnerable species and collaborate with communities in defending nature.
The photographic project “Wildlife and Community Survival”, by Luca Catalano Gonzaga, supported by the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation, tells these stories of connection between animals and people.