National Geographic Magazine - UK January 2024

AT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, we talk a lot about “charismatic species,” a loose term used by conservation biologists to describe animals that have the broadest public appeal. Because they hold our attention, animals such as tigers, elephants, and gorillas are influential in provoking thought, discussion, and action around conservation. Few insects would be considered charismatic, but one that does fit the bill is the subject of this month’s cover story: the monarch butterfly. Monarchs are both beautiful and, in their own way, magical. Each year eastern North American monarchs complete a seasonal migration of up to 3,000 miles, traveling from the United States and Canada to wintering grounds in Mexico. (You can learn more about the migration in an episode of our series Incredible Animal Journeys, streaming on Disney+.) The monarch’s…

TICK. TICK. PZZZZ. The song of the Florida grasshopper sparrow is unusual and surprisingly insect-like. But it almost fell silent forever. In 2012 National Geographic Explorer and Photo Ark founder Joel Sartore received a call from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: The songbird, an important ecological link in Florida’s dry prairies, was teetering on extinction. With only a few dozen males showing up in counts, it was among North America’s most endangered bird species. Funded by a National Geographic Society grant, Sartore flew to Florida to photograph the bird and work with conservationists to raise awareness of the species’ plight. The story appeared in Audubon magazine and other outlets, helping boost government funding for a breeding program. Thanks to these steps, there are now as many as 180 adults…

Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow From her home in California, Tuhus-Dubrow often writes about the intersection of society and technology. She’s the author of Personal Stereo, a cultural history of the Walkman, and is working on a book about nuclear energy. Her articles have run in outlets such as Slate and the Guardian. Page 68 Jackie Molloy Molloy, a photojournalist in New York City, frequently focuses on the complex and evolving nature of family. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she documented at-home births for National Geographic. In 2022 she was featured in the “30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch” program. Page 68 Michelle Nijhuis Based in rural Washington State, Nijhuis writes about conservation and climate change, including National Geographic feature stories on the Mekong River and the future of America’s national parks. She…

Joel Sartore A conservation photographer who’s contributed more than 40 stories to the magazine, Sartore lives in Nebraska, near his childhood hometown. He roams the globe for his Photo Ark project, aiming to make portraits of at least 20,000 animal species, with the goal of inspiring people to protect them. An Explorer since 2012, Sartore was named Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year in 2018. Page 108 Jaime Rojo An Explorer since 2020, Rojo is a photographer from Spain who specializes in stories about wilderness, wildlife, and people. Ultimately, he hopes his work can inspire the creation of new protected areas. A Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, he has been given honors in competitions including the World Press Photo Contest and Wildlife Photographer of the…

LOOKING AT THE EARTH FROM EVERY POSSIBLE ANGLE…

A SERIES OF FROGLIKE crouches. A personal best time of four hours on a typically 15-minute trail. This is how Julya Hajnoczky describes her slow and unconventional mode of hiking. For weeks each year, the Calgary native creeps along footpaths in some of Canada’s most stunning wild spaces. She hovers over moss or mushrooms while other visitors speed by. “It must be how cyclists feel on the highway when they’re getting passed by semitrucks,” she says. Sometimes, though, hikers stop and ask what she sees that they don’t. She’s happy to explain—after all, that’s the point of her project. In 2017 Hajnoczky designed and built an eight-foot-long mobile trailer, which she dubbed the Alfresco Science Machine. Painted forest green, it houses an inventory of fieldwork immersion: a bed, a camp…