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.

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.

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 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 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.

Bruny Island is a haven for rare and unique birds and animals, and is one of the best bird-watching spots in Australia.

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 wild and special continent of Antarctica - captured by outdoor educator and guide Ewan Blyth. 

Southwest National Park in Tasmania is a vast, mostly trackless wilderness containing ancient forests, the wildest rivers, a glaciated and mountainous landscape and a spectacular coastline with rich aboriginal history.

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

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

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

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

Southwest National Park in Tasmania is a vast, mostly trackless wilderness containing ancient forests, the wildest rivers, a glaciated and mountainous landscape and a spectacular coastline with rich aboriginal history.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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 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.

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most biodiverse forests in the world including almost 1000 bird species. Here are a few of these birds from photographer Marcio Conrado.