I often wonder what the wild will look like years from now — and which of the animals I photograph today will still be there for the next generation to witness.

That thought follows me every time I enter a forest. I want my photographs to preserve more than the appearance of an animal. I want them to carry a memory of how it lived, the land it belonged to and the delicate relationship it shared with nature and with us.

If these images can help someone pause, feel connected and understand what we stand to lose, then they have served a greater purpose. Because we protect only what we learn to value, and the future of the wild depends on what we choose to preserve today.