Welcome to Project Flamingo - PRESS INFORMATION

AIM: ”To document photographically the Flamingo's in the Altiplano of South America in light of developing ecotourism, increasingmining pressure and historical hunting"

Press release - 7th August 2006

Niall Riddell, a young amateur photographer, has recently returned from an expedition to the Andes of South America where he was documenting photographically the three endangered flamingo species that inhabit the high altitude salt lakes of the region.

Niall is exhibiting images at the Oxford Town Hall gallery from the 14th of August to the 31st of August 2006. “I hope to stimulate people’s interest in this region and the beautiful birds that inhabit this area” he says.

There are only 33,000 Andean flamingos left in the wild and this beautiful pink bird is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN but it is only one of the three endangered flamingo species living in South America. Together with the James flamingo and the Chilean flamingo these birds inhabit some of the most hostile lakes in the world. High in the Andes above 3500m these birds eek out a living on the microscopic algae and zooplankton that survive in the highly saline waters.

Niall witnessed and photographed some of the problems in the region associated with unregulated tourism. Unfortunately some of these areas have become very popular and receive thousands of visitors a year which of course has an impact on the basic infrastructure in the region. Litter lies around lake edges and tire tracks, from the 4x4’s used to get around the region, cover the desert landscape. It is also not unknown for tourists to disturb flamingos by trying to approach too close which can have disastrous impacts during the breeding season. Flamingos disturbed from nests often abandon them and don’t return. The British represent the second most common tourists in many of these sparsely populated regions and Niall wants to try and communicate some of these issues to them.

However all is not lost, regional and national conservationists are working to protect these species by trying to regulate visitor numbers, monitoring and banding chicks, and satellite tracking individuals. Captive breeding programmes are undertaken where possible and here in the UK this is led by the Wildfowl and Wetlands trust at Slimbridge.

Niall spent six weeks in search of flamingos visiting some cold and remote regions. Perhaps the most stunning of all of these was Laguna Colorada in south west Bolivia which is a Ramsar protected site in the National Reserve of Andean Fauna Eduardo Avaroa and one of the key breeding sites for James Flamingos. “I was greeted by a sea of roosting flamingos” Niall comments “thousands of pink birds silently sleeping”

Niall found the climate to be challenging but a partnership with Páramo, a specialist outdoor clothing manufacturer, ensured that Niall was well kitted out for the elements where temperatures can fluctuate between 25oC during the day to -15oC at night.

On one occasion Niall had a close encounter with hypothermia; “I got up early one morning to photograph the sunrise but suddenly felt my body temperature drop”. His shivering stopped, he became nauseous and dizzy however Niall had attended a two day Wilderness Medical Training course sponsored by his company NUKEM Limited and he knew exactly what to do; “I returned to my sleeping bag in my tent and curled up with some heat packs, some food and water until I felt normal again!”

Niall’s expedition was supported by Páramo, NUKEM Limited, The Royal Caledonian Schools Trust, The Gordon Foundation and the Eric Hosking Trust.

Please visit www.projectflamingo.co.uk to learn more

ENDS
NOTE(S) FOR EDITORS
Images to support articles can be obtained directly from Niall – please see contact details below

The aim of the expedition was to document photographically the Flamingo’s of the Altiplano of South America in light of developing ecotourism, increasing mining pressure and historical hunting, then to use these images to educate people on conservation issues. The expedition was in the field from the 9th of April to the 20th of May 2006

The outdoor clothing company Páramo are supporting Niall's ambitious photo-documentary project to the Andes of South America by providing expedition equipment. This represents an ideal partnership for the expedition as Páramo produce high quality waterproof breathable outdoor clothing that will protect Niall from the elements and allow him to concentrate on his main goal of producing high quality images of the Flamingo's and their habitat. To see their full range of goods visit their website at www.paramo.co.uk

Niall Riddell is employed by NUKEM Limited a specialist Nuclear engineering company. He is based at Harwell, Oxfordshire where he works as a Waste Management Consultant. The company have a strong commitment to Corporate Responsibility and felt that this project would benefit Niall’s personal growth as well as contributing to international conservation. Please contact Judith Horsley for further information (01925 858200) or visit www.rwenukem.co.uk

The Royal Caledonian Schools Trust was established in 1815 to help educate the sons and daughters of Scots who were serving, or who had served, in the armed forces, and the children of poor Scots in London. They help with educational grants for school clothing, school trips, school fees and help with living expenses for those in further or higher education. The Trust also sponsors projects that benefit groups or qualifying students, and awards scholarships to help those who decide to use a gap year to help less fortunate communities. http://www.rcst.org.uk

The aim of the Eric Hosking Trust is to sponsor ornithological research through the media of writing, photography, painting or illustration. It was set up in memory of Eric Hosking. Throughout his long and distinguished career, which spanned over sixty years, Eric Hosking OBE, Hon FRPS, FBIPP, was widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most eminent natural history photographers. His work was admired, published and exhibited in countries around the continents of the world. More information can be found at http://www.hosking-tours.co.uk/EricHosking.asp

The Gordon Foundation is supporting Niall with a grant. The Gordon Foundation helps people up to the age of 30 grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society. It offers grants to support their education in the fine or performing arts, particularly music, drama or design, or to allow them to engage in educational travel which involves physical challenge and endeavor

Niall has been passionately pursuing his love of photography for the last six years. As a young photographer he developed his skills and experience and so far has been published in a number of magazines (Practical Photography, Outdoor Photography, Birdwatching Magazine), and is represented by the Sylvia Cordaiy picture library, UPPA (Universal Pictorial Press Agency) and Alamy.com. Niall’s images have been printed as postcards, in the Travel Photographer of the Year book “Journey One” and most recently he reached the final round of judging in The Eric Hosking award of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2005 and achieved a 9th and a 21st in Travel Photographer of the Year 2005.

Niall’s skills as an active volunteer with the RSPB (Black throated diver monitoring, Caithness, Mammal surveys, Oxfordshire), BTO (Nest monitoring) aided him in tackling the challenges presented by this project. Niall has written and maintains his own website (www.lyonimages.co.uk) where more of his images can be seen. A separate expedition website (www.projectflamingo.co.uk) also furthers the aims of this project.

Niall’s trip took him through three countries; Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. He started his journey at Laguna Colorada in Bolivia where he spent 4 days photographing flamingos alone. He then visited Lago Poopo and Lago Uru Uru in Bolivia before crossing the border to visit Salar de Surire and Lauca National Park in northern Chile. He spent a few days near Salar de Atacama in Chile before finishing his trip at Laguna Pozuelos in northern Argentina.

Please visit www.projectflamingo.co.uk for further information or contact Niall for images to support articles.
Contact Details: Niall Riddell
12 Church Lane,
Marston,
Oxford,
OX3 0NZ
Tel: 01235 51 4880 (day)
Tel: 01865 724 529 (eve)
E: niall@lyonimages.co.uk
W: www.projectflamingo.co.uk
W: www.lyonimages.co.uk

ENDS ALL

OLD PRESS RELEASE

Images

Niall Riddell	Flamingos in Soda Lake, Bolivia	Flamingos in Soda Lake, Bolivia	Feathers of Andean Flamingo
Sunrise Bolivian Altiplano	Carribean Flamingos at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge	Laguna Colorada, Bolivia	Niall Riddell

Press Release 26th March 2006

Niall Riddell, a young amateur photographer is carrying out a photo-documentary project to highlight the plight of the flamingos of the Andes in South America.

There are only 33,000 Andean flamingos left in the wild and this beautiful pink bird is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN but it is only one of the three endangered flamingo species living in South America. Together with the James flamingo and the Chilean flamingo these birds inhabit some of the most hostile lakes in the world. High in the Andes above 3500m these birds eek out a living on the microscopic algae and zooplankton that survive in the highly saline waters.

These birds are being threatened by habitat destruction and water poisoning from mining operations, disturbance from an excess of unregulated tourists and now the growing threat of climate change drastically altering the water levels in these lakes. To top it off the Aymara Indians have a history of hunting the young birds and eating the eggs but now there is a worrying and growing trend to export the eggs to neighbouring countries to sell in markets.

However all is not lost, regional and national conservationists are working to protect these species by trying to regulate visitor numbers, monitoring and banding chicks, and satellite tracking individuals. Captive breeding programmes are undertaken where possible and here in the UK this is led by the Wildfowl and Wetlands trust at Slimbridge.

Niall Riddell, a nuclear engineer employed by RWE NUKEM Limited has a passion for wildlife and travel, has taken on the challenge of conveying these issues through images. “Flamingos are an extremely charismatic species and I would like to direct my photography hobby to help conserve this species” he says of the species.

Night time temperatures plunge well below zero and the thin air can make it difficult for humans to breathe. Frequent strong winds, dust storms and unpredictable snow storms ensure the area is difficult to photograph, fortunately the outdoor clothing company Páramo are providing Niall with high quality clothing to ensure that he survives the onslaught of the natural elements.

Having visited the region in 2003 he intends to return and document their plight and put on exhibitions here in the UK with a portfolio of the species that not only conveys the beauty of the species and threats to their future but also highlights the positive work that conservation organisations and companies are undertaking to assist them.

Niall is being supported by Páramo, RWE NUKEM Limited, The Royal Caledonian Schools Trust, The Gordon Foundation and the Eric Hosking Trust. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the IUCN’s Flamingo Specialist Group and the International League of Conservation Photographers have all provided help to Niall to develop the expedition.

Please visit www.projectflamingo.co.uk to learn more

ENDS

NOTE(S) FOR EDITORS

The aim of the expedition is to document photographically the Flamingo’s of the Altiplano of South America in light of developing ecotourism, increasing mining pressure and historical hunting, then to use these images to educate people on conservation issues. The expedition will be in the field from the 9th of April to the 20th of May

The outdoor clothing company Páramo are supporting Niall's ambitious photo-documentary project to the Andes of South America by providing expedition equipment. This represents an ideal partnership for the expedition as Páramo produce high quality waterproof breathable outdoor clothing that will protect Niall from the elements and allow him to concentrate on his main goal of producing high quality images of the Flamingo's and their habitat. To see their full range of goods visit their website at www.paramo.co.uk

The Royal Caledonian Schools Trust was established in 1815 to help educate the sons and daughters of Scots who were serving, or who had served, in the armed forces, and the children of poor Scots in London. They help with educational grants for school clothing, school trips, school fees and help with living expenses for those in further or higher education. The Trust also sponsors projects that benefit groups or qualifying students, and awards scholarships to help those who decide to use a gap year to help less fortunate communities. http://www.rcst.org.uk

The aim of the Eric Hosking Trust is to sponsor ornithological research through the media of writing, photography, painting or illustration. It was set up in memory of Eric Hosking. Throughout his long and distinguished career, which spanned over sixty years, Eric Hosking OBE, Hon FRPS, FBIPP, was widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most eminent natural history photographers. His work was admired, published and exhibited in countries around the continents of the world. More information can be found at http://www.hosking-tours.co.uk/EricHosking.asp

The Gordon Foundation is supporting Niall with a grant. The Gordon Foundation helps people up to the age of 30 grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society. It offers grants to support their education in the fine or performing arts, particularly music, drama or design, or to allow them to engage in educational travel which involves physical challenge and endeavor

Niall has been passionately pursuing his love of photography for the last six years. As a young photographer he developed his skills and experience and so far has been published in a number of magazines (Practical Photography, Outdoor Photography, Birdwatching Magazine), and is represented by the Sylvia Cordaiy picture library, UPPA (Universal Pictorial Press Agency) and Alamy.com. Niall’s images have been printed as postcards, in the Travel Photographer of the Year book “Journey One” and most recently he reached the final round of judging in The Eric Hosking award of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2005 and achieved a 9th and a 21st in Travel Photographer of the Year 2005.

Niall’s skills as an active volunteer with the RSPB (Black throated diver monitoring, Caithness, Mammal surveys, Oxfordshire), BTO (Nest monitoring) will aid him in tackling the challenges presented by this project. Niall has written and maintains his own website (www.lyonimages.co.uk) where more of his images can be seen. A separate expedition website will be set up in due course to further the aims of this project.

Niall has travelled in South America previously in 2003 visiting Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. During this trip he travelled through the Altiplano of Bolivia and was captivated by its stunning beauty and unusual inhabitants. In the region surrounding Laguna Colorada in Bolivia he saw Vicuña, Andean foxes, Viscacha as well as the three species of Flamingo. Due to this visit he already has contacts in the region and speaks Spanish to a conversational level. Therefore his experiences match the skills he will require to complete this expedition successfully.

Please visit www.projectflamingo.co.uk for further information and to download previous images to support articles.
Contact Details: Niall Riddell

E: niall@lyonimages.co.uk
W: www.projectflamingo.co.uk
W: www.lyonimages.co.uk

ENDS ALL