Photographer Perttu Saksa has photographed animals humanity has threatened from the bone collection of the University of Helsinki’s Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus. Some of these are from other continents or far back in time, but there are familiar species in the mix too. They include species that have disappeared from the planet altogether, species in dire straits and species that have so far been saved from extinction.
In addition to being local, the white-tailed eagle represents hope. In Finland, people awakened to its distress in the nick of time. A hated pest and a predator threatened by environmental toxins became a protected species whose number of offspring has gradually grown since the 1970s.
The University of Helsinki and Luomus contribute to the conservation of species and the development of conservation techniques, particularly by producing reliable information and making it known. Conservation will be unsuccessful without species-monitoring schemes and the understanding of changes occurring in nature.
The national natural history collections and datasets maintained by Luomus serve as nature’s memory. In this era of climate change and biodiversity loss, they are more important than ever.
Perttu Saksa is an award-winning photographer and visual artist. In his art, he focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment, as well as on natural history and related collections.
The exhibition will be open until 30 November 2023 during the opening hours of Think Corner. The exhibition is free of charge.