Going the Way of the Dodo

Habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species and exploitation were the causes that led to the disappearance of the Dodo at the end of the 17th century. This is one of the earliest and best-known examples of humaninduced extinction, whose impact on the biosphere has grown exponentially, leading to the advent of what is known as the sixth mass extinction. Italy hosts about one third of the fauna present in Europe and its biodiversity is going the way of the Dodo. The narrative about this loss often remains limited to the imagination of symbolic animals, often framed within a romantic or apocalyptic scenario. There is a lesser-known aspect related to the entanglements of humans and biodiversity: the meticulous and noiselessly activities of scientific research, habitat monitoring, species conservation and repopulation in nature. Through my personal vision I wanted to investigate this side of the story. At the heart of the imagery that I tried to depict, lies the desire to look beyond the human–nature dichotomy, to avoid an apocalyptic representation and to look instead into the details of the complex relationship between humans and fauna that triggered my curiosity.