Focused On Nature

01/06/2026

Focused On Nature wishes you a happy World Reef Day!

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth—living structures built by tiny coral animals over generations, forming vast underwater cities that shelter, feed, and sustain an extraordinary range of marine life.

Though they cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs support around a quarter of all marine species at some stage of their lives. They act as nurseries for fish, protect coastlines from waves and storms, support local livelihoods, and hold an irreplaceable place in the health of the wider ocean.

From the Coral Triangle to the Red Sea, the Maldives, the Caribbean, and beyond, reefs are living architecture: fragile, complex, and full of colour, movement, and life. But they are also under growing pressure from warming seas, coral bleaching, ocean acidification, pollution, overfishing, and destructive coastal development.

By protecting reefs, we can safeguard entire ecosystems and the future resilience of our oceans.

Focused On Nature is supports , , , in their work to protect marine ecosystems, strengthen ocean conservation, and help ensure these remarkable underwater worlds have the chance to recover and thrive.

30/05/2026

Rainforest Ribbits 🐸

Ecuador is home to some of the world’s most remarkable amphibian diversity—particularly frogs.

There are more than 9,000 known amphibian species across the world, including nearly 8,000 frogs and toads. Forests are home to around 80% of amphibian species, with tropical forests and rainforest regions among the richest places on Earth for amphibian life.

Many frogs depend on precise environmental conditions: clean water, high humidity, dense vegetation, and safe places to breed. Some lay eggs on leaves above streams; others use tiny pools of water held within plants or hidden parts of the forest. When those conditions are disrupted, amphibians are among the first species to show the strain.

Amphibians are widely recognised as indicators of environmental health. With permeable skin and life cycles often tied to both land and water, they are especially sensitive to pollution, disease, habitat degradation, and shifts in climate.

Across the globe, frogs and other amphibians face mounting pressure from habitat loss, pollution, disease, climate change, and the degradation of freshwater and forest habitats. More than 40% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction, making them the most threatened vertebrate class.

Their level of endangerment reflects a larger threat to the rainforests, wetlands, and freshwater systems that sustain some of the planet’s richest biodiversity.

Focused On Nature supports the work of .jocotoco, , and in their efforts to secure rainforest plots and wildlife corridors that help safeguard vital habitat for amphibians and countless other species.

23/05/2026

Focused On Nature wishes you a Happy World Turtle Day!

Turtles and tortoises are among the planet’s greatest survivors. For more than 200 million years, they have moved through oceans, rivers, wetlands, deserts, and islands—adapting to some of the world’s most extraordinary environments.

But their incredible ability to survive does not make them invincible.

Many turtles and tortoises live slowly: they grow slowly, mature late, lay limited numbers of eggs, and often return to the same nesting areas year after year. These traits leave populations vulnerable in a modern world where habitats are altered faster than species can adapt.

Today, turtles face pressure from nearly every direction: freshwater extraction, coastal development, plastic pollution, illegal wildlife trade, road mortality, invasive species, climate change, and the loss or degradation of nesting and feeding grounds.

Their future depends on safeguarding critical habitats, reducing avoidable threats, supporting rescue and rehabilitation, and advancing the science and monitoring needed to help vulnerable populations recover.

Focused On Nature is proud to support and in their work to protect turtles, sea turtles, tortoises, and the habitats they depend on.

Photo 2 taken by

22/05/2026

“You cannot, for the sake of the planet, for humanity, for wildlife and wild places, give up. Whilst we once needed nature to live, nature now depends entirely on us merely to survive.” —Hussain Aga Khan

Focused On Nature wishes you a Happy International Day for Biological Diversity!

Biodiversity is the living tapestry of our planet: the richness of life within species, between species, and across ecosystems. From microscopic organisms to great whales, every form of life plays a part in the balance that sustains us all.

This year’s theme, “Acting locally for global impact,” reminds us that protecting nature is not an abstract global ambition. It begins with the choices, commitments, and actions taken in individual communities, landscapes, and seascapes around the world. That global impact begins locally: in the creation of Marine Protected Areas, the securing of plots of rainforest and wildlife corridors, and safeguarding habitats, allowing species and ecosystems to recover—if we just let them.

At Focused On Nature, we believe awareness is the first step toward action. Through photography, education, and storytelling, FON helps bring fragile and threatened ecosystems into focus—supporting the protection of wild places, vulnerable species, and the extraordinary biodiversity on which all life depends.

15/05/2026

14/05/2026

Mermaid Muscle? 🧜‍♀️💪

At first sight it’s hard to believe that dugongs, which can weigh up to 420 kilos for a length of about 3 meters, are actually muscular; they look really fatty.

But seeing individuals with their backs arched or performing a slow-motion backflip, would contradict pre-conceived notions.

This wonderful creature is at the root of mermaid lore and spends its entire day feeding on seagrass, leaving clouds of fine but fairly dirty sand all around it and in its wake. The yellow jacks—which are different to pilot fish—often accompany dugongs as they make their way through the seagrass and over the sandy ocean floor.

09/05/2026

Focused On Nature wishes Sir David Attenborough a Happy 100th Birthday!

Photography by Hussain Aga Khan

06/05/2026

You never know what will be in store on a dive.

You might be followed by a lethargic and large grouper moonlighting as an energetic companion in Corsica.

A fish we found in a cave a couple of minutes after entry that followed us into daylight and stayed with me like a friend for nearly the entirety of two hour-long dives. On the second dive, it left my side only once we reached the anchor chain.

You would never eat grouper if you saw how endearing and charismatic they are under the surface – or knew how terribly their numbers have declined.

03/05/2026

Focused On Nature wishes you a happy International Leopard Day!

Powerful, adaptable, and famously elusive, leopards move through some of the most varied habitats of any big cat—rainforests, savannas, mountains, and scrublands—across Africa and Asia. Their rosette-patterned coats act as precision camouflage, shaped by the landscapes they call home. No two leopards share the same pattern—like a fingerprint, each coat is unique to the individual. They are extraordinary predators and impressive climbers, capable of hauling prey heavier than themselves into the canopy to feed undisturbed.

But leopards are losing ground. Nine subspecies are recognised today, and nearly all are declining in numbers. Habitat loss, prey decline, and poaching continue to push populations into smaller and more fragmented ranges, while retaliatory killings near farmland remain one of the most persistent pressures across their range.

International Leopard Day is a moment to recognise what is at stake, and what is still possible: anti-poaching enforcement, habitat protection, and coexistence with the communities who share these landscapes. Together, these efforts offer leopards hope for the future.