Appreciating wildlife - The power of image

IT is ironic that more people than ever might identify a snow leopard, though fewer and fewer of us have seen one in the wild or understand its needs.

Unlike a small proportion of earlier generations, who had a hands-on, practical knowledge of the wildlife around them, nearly all of us have a basic knowledge of flora and fauna learned through television or books. Though this has its limitations, it is, all in all, a good thing. The images selected for a collection of the greatest nature photographs of all time, as part of Christie’s first Green Auction in New York, were unveiled yesterday to mark Earth Day. They can only encourage that process. As can anything that leads us to a better understanding of the truth that we do not own the wildlife around us but only hold it in trust for our children. This infers a responsibility we do not always discharge well.