Joshua Tree National Park was once described by early explorers as a “profitless locality” and that it “shall be forever unvisited”.
A bit of time, visitation by those with a more discerning eye and the efforts of a determined woman resulted in the protection of a treasured place.

Pelagic birds are birds that spend a large part of their life on the open ocean. These include the majestic Albatross, petrels and terns. This gallery of Pelagic birds by Marcio Conrado was taken off the Tasman Peninsula

The triangle-shaped island of Panay is the sixth-largest of the Philippines archipelago, and has an amazing array of landscapes and biodiversity hotspots, including the Central Panay Mountain Range. As the fourth-most populous island of the Philippines, it is also facing conservation challenges.

Bruny Island has an intricate, complex, beautiful and varied coastline, ranging from sheltered inlets, shallow bays, mudflats, lagoons, and grand sea-cliffs, through to long sandy ocean facing beaches.

Tasmania's marine environment is globally significant, with a rich mix of ecosystems and habitats fostering marine life found nowhere else on Earth

Dozens of species of native animals frequent the remnant moist gullies and bushland of the Mosman peninsula, from the Eastern Water Dragon to Peron's Tree Frog and the endangered Powerful Owl

The two thousand-foot deep red sandstone canyon through Zion National Park is a majestic masterpiece, carved out over ancient time by the Virgin River. Known for its intense seasonal colours and dramatic vistas and established in 1919, Zion is Utah's first National Park.

Snow leopards, golden marmot, markhor, golden eagles, lynx, and other wildlife species frequent the extraordinary region of Chitral & Gilgit Baltistan in Northern Pakistan

Antartica, the Southern Ocean and the sub-Antarctic islands host a rich variety of extraordinary life, including penguins, seals, and whales

Takayna / Tarkine is a hugely diverse wild landscape with an extraordinary history. Largely unprotected this region has huge potential for national park and world heritage status.

Bruny Island is an island, off an island, off an island, surrounded by islands. Image: Nick Monk

We all need a good visual dose of the wonder of Nature sometimes, and we can't always get outside from behind the desk, to breathe it in. Here, we bring it to you, with these beautiful close-ups of our unique woodland bird species, photographed by Tasmanian bird ecologist Dr Eric Woehler (OAM). Take a moment and enjoy.

Bruny Island is an island, off an island, off an island, surrounded by islands. Image: Nick Monk

Tasmania's marine environment is globally significant, with a rich mix of ecosystems and habitats fostering marine life found nowhere else on Earth

The dramatic-looking rockhopper penguin is characterised by its red eyes, upright yellow head feathers along a supercilium stripe and a crest of black feathers on top. They are separated into three sub-species, photographer here by ecologist Dr Eric Woehler (OAM) and located around the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic zones.

Pelagic birds are birds that spend a large part of their life on the open ocean. These include the majestic Albatross, petrels and terns. This gallery of Pelagic birds by Marcio Conrado was taken off the Tasman Peninsula

The Scandinavian mountain range, the Scandes, runs through the border between Sweden and Norway. It covers most of Norway and stretches into the north-west regions of Sweden. These mountainous areas form some of Sweden's most remarkable wilderness.

The two thousand-foot deep red sandstone canyon through Zion National Park is a majestic masterpiece, carved out over ancient time by the Virgin River. Known for its intense seasonal colours and dramatic vistas and established in 1919, Zion is Utah's first National Park.

The diverse avifauna of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, includes, but not limited to a fascinating array of species locally known by distinct names that reflect the region’s cultural and ecological identity. 

The triangle-shaped island of Panay is the sixth-largest of the Philippines archipelago, and has an amazing array of landscapes and biodiversity hotspots, including the Central Panay Mountain Range. As the fourth-most populous island of the Philippines, it is also facing conservation challenges.

The dusky dolphin is one of the smaller dolphin species with a maximum weight of about 85 kilograms and a length, of just over two metres. The dusky dolphin is a social species, known for its agility and coordinated acrobatic abilities.

Mountains, valleys, alpine lakes and green pastures - the beauty of Chitral & Gilgit-Baltistan. 

The fairy tern is a similar size to a hooded plover - so tiny, it would sit comfortably in the palm of your hand. They lay just two eggs, onto the beach sand. See these remarkable images from Tasmanian-based bird ecologist Dr Eric Woehler.

The aurora australis lights the skies of Southwest Tasmania. The next Dark Sky Sanctuary? Image: Dan Broun