We invite submissions to a Special Feature in People and Nature that focuses on novel research and perspectives addressing the implications of visual media for human–nature relationships.

Deadline for submissions: NOW CLOSED

Editorial team: Sarah Crowley, Audrey Verma, Jamie Lorimer, Ricardo Correia, Diogo Verissimo and Matthew Silk

Credit: Gerd Altmann.

The content and aesthetics of visual media (i.e. cinema, television, video games and online videos) both reflect and inform people’s relationships with the natural world. Depictions and narratives of nature ‘on screen’ could be a powerful tool in engaging wide audiences with environmental challenges and knowledge. Yet there are also risks involved in blurring the boundaries between education and entertainment. These include valorising and demonising certain species or peoples; creating new markets for the exploitation of threatened wildlife or habitats; or representing natural entities, places and processes in misleading and potentially harmful ways.

We are keen to receive submissions from academics working across different geographic regions and in a range of relevant disciplines, such as the environmental social sciences, conservation science, and film and media studies, as well as perspectives from industry (e.g. from documentary and feature filmmakers, game designers). We are particularly interested in empirical work investigating the impacts of different forms of media on environmental issues, especially articles that are cross-disciplinary in nature or from those working on these issues in developing countries.

Based on data from ‘Considering connections between Hollywood and biodiversity conservation‘.

People and Nature is a broad-scope open access journal publishing work exploring relationships between humans and nature. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodologies are all welcome.

Timeline: Prospective authors should submit a 300 word abstract of the paper together with a tentative title and article type to Sarah Crowley (s.crowley@exeter.ac.uk) for consideration. The authors of abstracts found to be within the scope of the Special Feature will be invited to submit full papers.

Full manuscripts must be submitted by the 28th February 2021. The full Special Feature should be published in the second half of 2021, but all manuscripts accepted ahead of the issue’s publication date will be published online early shortly after acceptance.

Submission Process: Additional instructions are available on the journal’s website. Manuscripts should be submitted through Manuscript Central: the cover letter should indicate that the submission is to be considered as part of the special feature. Please also ensure that the cover letter indicates the paper’s alignment with the scope of People and Nature and the alignment with the focus of the Special Feature. Please note that submissions to this Special Feature will be held to the same editorial and peer-review standard as all other submissions to the journal. Industry professionals and other practitioners can also make use of the guidelines for ‘Practitioner’s Perspective’ submissions, available on the website of People and Nature’s sister publication, Journal of Applied Ecology.

Publication Fees: People and Nature is an Open Access journal: this allows for broad dissemination without subscription. The journal is therefore funded by publication fees of $2000/£1540/€1835. However, we are determined to ensure these are not a barrier to publication: discounts and waivers may be available to authors without means of paying. Please contact the People and Nature Editorial Office for additional information.