Mac Stone Uses Conservation Photography to Protect Southern Swamps

# Why Mac Stone focuses on southern swamps

Mac Stone, 42, is a conservation photographer and National Geographic Explorer who spends much of his professional life in the Southeast's forested wetlands. He photographs animals and habitats that most people avoid—cottonmouths, alligators, and mosquito-filled swamps—to show their value and to help protect the remaining wetlands.

# What he photographs and how

His method mixes technical skill and patience. Colleagues at National Geographic note that Stone will persist until he captures specific animal behaviors and high-quality, accurate images. Stone frames his work explicitly as conservation tools: "As a conservationist, I want to use my art to make a tangible impact. All the photos need to go to work."

# The conservation problem he's addressing

Federal data cited in the piece show that over the past 70 years more than half of forested wetlands across the lower 48 states have disappeared. The rate of loss has increased since about 2009, with the Southeast experiencing especially high losses. Stone believes that protecting and restoring what remains will be critical to safeguarding the region's wildlife and ecological functions.

# How photography is used for protection

# Background and motivation

• In Beidler Forest, Stone left the boardwalk with a permit to photograph a cottonmouth in shallow water, approaching within a few feet.

# What this means for readers and advocates

Stone's work shows that images can be both scientifically useful and emotionally persuasive. For conservation groups, land managers, and policymakers, photography that documents species, habitats, and behaviors provides communication assets to support protection and restoration campaigns. For the public, his images offer a different way to understand and value swamp ecosystems that are otherwise overlooked.

# Bottom line

Mac Stone uses field-based, high-effort photography to reshape how people view the Southeast's forested wetlands and to supply visual tools for conservation. With federal data showing widespread wetland loss, his portfolio is intended to help reverse those trends by persuading audiences to support habitat protection and restoration.