Lucas Bustamante

Lucas Bustamante has been bitten by countless snakes, dived with whale sharks, lived with Amazonian indigenous tribes, and chased by elephants. Since he was a child, he grew up around the Ecuadorian outdoors and later became a passionate biologist and a conservation photojournalist.

Lucas co-founded Tropical Herping and Savia Fund, an Ecuadorian Nonprofit that works in the legal defense of nature, environmental and cultural conservation, and visual storytelling. Lucas's primary objective is to use photography to promote wildlife conservation, so he manages different projects throughout South America, Africa, and Asia. He is an author of some books, like “Reptiles of the Galapagos” and has described 8 new species for science, including two gecko species for the archipelago. His photographic work has been featured in National Geographic, Audubon, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Smithsonian, and many other magazines, books, photo exhibitions, and articles. Lucas is a Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice prizewinner, and his images are represented by Nature Picture Library.

Lucas spends time diving and playing soccer with his friends when taking a break from work.