Sylvia Earle has devoted her life to studying and safeguarding our ocean.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Oceanography
- Region
- Global
Beverly and Dereck Joubert are working to halt the decline of big cats in the wild.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Wildlife Conservation
- Region
- Africa
Shah Selbe is harnessing technology to detect and track illegal fishing.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Technology
- Region
- Global
Guillermo De Anda is exploring remote cenotes to better understand the Maya.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Archaeology
- Region
- North America
Paula Kahumbu is empowering people to follow conservation projects in real time.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Conservation
- Region
- Africa
Meave Leakey has spent half a century studying human evolution in Kenya.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Paleontology
- Region
- Africa
Louise Leakey is helping us better understand our human origins.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Paleontology
- Region
- Africa
Paul Salopek is retracing our ancestors’ global migration – one step at a time.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Journalism
- Region
- Global
Michael Fay is committed to exploring and protecting critical wild places.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Conservation
- Region
- Global
Shivani Bhalla is helping people and lions coexist.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Conservation
- Region
- Africa
Enric Sala is working to protect the last wild places in the ocean.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Marine Ecology
- Region
- Global
Salam Al Kuntar is fighting to save Syria’s cultural heritage.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Archaeology
- Region
- Asia
Steve Boyes is helping to protect Botswana’s pristine Okavango Delta.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Conservation
- Region
- Africa
Asha de Vos is studying the threats facing whales around Sri Lanka.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Marine Biology
- Region
- Asia
Olivier Nsengimana is working to save Rwanda’s endangered species.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Conservation
- Region
- Africa
Jónína Ólafsdóttir is mapping freshwater biodiversity in Iceland.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Biology
- Region
- Europe
Maritza Morales Casanova is cultivating environmental awareness in Mexico.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Environmental Education
- Region
- North America
Joel Sartore is saving species one photo at a time.
Go to Portfolio- Field of Study
- Photography
- Region
- Global
“I want people to care, to fall in love, and to take action.”
Projects
Impact
Pristine Seas
Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala and his team are on a mission to explore and protect some of the last truly wild places in the ocean. With up to five expeditions per year, they’re never far from their next scientific quest.
Impact
Okavango Wilderness Project
Explorer Steve Boyes and a team including Angolan, Namibian, and South African scientists are surveying thousands of miles of the Okavango River Basin with one goal in mind: to protect one of Africa's richest places for biodiversity.
Impact
Photo Ark
National Geographic Photo Ark founder Joel Sartore is more than halfway to his goal of creating intimate portraits of every species in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries to inspire people to protect animals at risk.
Impact
Out of Eden Walk
Explorer Paul Salopek is walking across the planet, following the pathways of the first humans who migrated out of Africa in the Stone Age. Along the way, he’s covering some of the major stories of our time by giving voice to the people who inhabit them every day.
Impact
Big Cats Initiative
Explorers-in-Residence, and Big Cats Initiative founders, Beverly and Dereck Joubert are working with communities and innovative scientists and conservationists to develop sustainable approaches to big cat conservation.
“Guiding my students through a process of discovery is what inspires me.”
Explorers in the Classroom
Transport your students from the classroom to the frontiers of exploration through live video conversations with National Geographic Explorers. Learn More
Photo Ark Challenge
Send your students on a conservation mission to help save animals. Learn More
Nat Geo Educator Certification
Teaching students about the world in innovative and interdisciplinary ways Learn More
MapMaker Interactive
Jump into GIS with our interactive mapping tool! Learn More

We’ve been making discoveries—and making an impact— for 130 years. Now you can explore this fascinating history firsthand with a new, interactive timeline that takes you behind the scenes through rare video footage, photos, artifacts, and inside stories.
Start Exploring