Every summer, Atlantic puffins return to the sea cliffs of eastern Iceland to breed, continuing a cycle that has endured for thousands of years. As warming oceans and shifting food supplies challenge many puffin colonies across the North Atlantic, this project explores the relationship between people and puffins, highlighting the communities, researchers, and protected habitats working to better understand and conserve one of the world's most recognizable seabirds.
Through intimate portraits and moments of behavior, the images celebrate both the beauty of the species and the collective effort required to safeguard its future. Often celebrated for their colorful appearance, puffins are far more than charismatic seabirds. They are indicators of the health of the North Atlantic, reflecting changes in fisheries, ocean temperatures, and ecosystem productivity. This project moves beyond the familiar image of the "clown of the sea" to reveal a resilient yet vulnerable species whose future is closely tied to the changing ocean.
How can photography help connect people to the science of puffin conservation?
Aiming to build a visual narrative about the lives of these birds, the research being conducted to understand them, the local communities that coexist with them and the broader story of a changing North Atlantic. Why do these birds matter, and how science and public engagement can help protect them?
Borgarfjörður Eystri, a small fjord and village on Iceland's east coast. Although it's best known as one of Iceland's premier puffin-viewing destinations, it's also an interesting place from a conservation and science perspective. The village has only about 100 permanent residents, but it sits at the intersection of several important ecological and geological features: one of Iceland's most accessible and important colonies of Atlantic puffin, productive coastal and marine ecosystems that support seabirds, seals, and marine mammals and a community that has increasingly embraced nature-based tourism as part of its economy and conservation identity.
The puffin colony at Hafnarhólmi is exceptionally well documented. Researchers monitor breeding success, nesting density,
population trends, timing of arrival and departure, effects of ocean conditions on breeding. Because visitors can observe puffins from elevated boardwalks without disturbing nesting burrows, the site has become an excellent example of balancing wildlife tourism with conservation.
Interestingly, researchers have also studied the economic value of the puffin colony itself.
Questions include:
How much revenue does wildlife tourism generate?
How does tourism support the local community?
How can infrastructure protect birds while allowing visitors close access?
These studies help justify conservation investments by showing that protecting wildlife can also support sustainable local economies.
What makes Borgarfjörður Eystri especially interesting isn't just the puffins - it's the philosophy behind how the community has developed. Rather than treating wildlife as something to exploit or simply photograph, the area demonstrates that:
healthy ecosystems can support local livelihoods,
carefully managed tourism can reduce pressure on wildlife,
visitors can become advocates for conservation after meaningful experiences in nature.
In many ways, it's a living example of the conservation philosophy: people protect what they feel connected to.
The boardwalks at Hafnarhólmi are a perfect illustration. Visitors can stand only a few meters from nesting puffins while remaining on designated paths that minimize disturbance. That combination of access, education, and protection is intentional—it allows people to experience wildlife intimately without compromising the colony.
How has a tiny fishing village reinvented itself around conservation?
What does responsible wildlife tourism actually look like?
How do scientists, guides, and local residents work together to protect seabirds?
Can close encounters with wildlife change people's attitudes toward conservation?
That story connects biology, tourism, community, and conservation—the same intersection that your own bio emphasizes. It moves beyond making beautiful wildlife images to documenting how relationships between people and place shape the future of biodiversity.