Top UK nature photographers coming to an ecosystem near you!

What are ecosystems and why are they so important to us? That’s what 2020VISION, the UK’s largest conservation photography initiative, plans to shout about.

Over the course of 20 months, a dedicated photo team, consisting of 20 of the UK’s top nature, wildlife and landscape photographers, will be travelling the country, carrying out photography assignments at over 20 locations where whole ecosystems are being repaired and re-connected so that they function as they should. Using the stunning images which are captured, and backed by a team of top videographers, sound recordists and writers, 2020VISION will produce an amazing image bank which will be rolled out across the country in a series of City Roadshows to communicate the crucial link between a vibrant nature full of wildlife, and our own well-being. It’s a link that increasingly, science is telling us we need to re-establish.

One of the locations handpicked for this ground-breaking project is the Inner Hebrides. From 16 to 21 July 2011, the 2020 Photo Team consisting of Chris Gomersall, Alex Mustard and Raymond Besant will be on location, to capture not only jaw-dropping nature images, including unique underwater images, but also documentary shots about what ecotourism means to Scotland's west coast communities.

Ecotourism is a major contributor to the local economy of the Inner Hebrides, providing jobs and attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the area each year. Marine ecotourism is on the increase with a host of operators now providing dolphin and whale watching trips in some of the richest waters in the UK.

Assignment photographer, Chris Gomersall, says: “Quite apart from any considerations of the importance of biodiversity, we just have to think about the value of our coasts and inshore waters to people. How many of us rely on clean seas for our leisure activities such as swimming, surfing, sailing, scuba diving and sea angling? Let alone a healthy shellfish industry. And around our lower lying coastlines, saltmarsh, sand dunes and grazing marshes provide a vital sea defence, helping to protect our homes from tidal flooding.”

2020VISION is a collaborative project, working alongside many partners, including Sea Life Surveys who lead the way in experienced and responsible marine wildlife adventures.

Visit www.2020v.org for more information and to find out how to get involved.