Elisabetta Zavoli
Elisabetta Zavoli is an Italian documentary photographer, filmmaker, and environmental journalist with a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Bologna. Her work explores the intersections of ecology, climate change, and human activity, using visual storytelling to translate complex scientific realities into accessible narratives.
With a background that bridges scientific research and journalism, she brings a rare combination of analytical depth and creative sensitivity to her long-form investigations. Elisabetta is a National Geographic Explorer and a member of the Women Photograph collective.
Elisabetta’s passion for the natural world led her to environmental journalism, where she has spent over fifteen years reporting on climate change impacts, deforestation driven by global consumption, mercury pollution, and waste mismanagement. From 2012 to 2018, she was based in Jakarta, Indonesia, documenting the environmental and social consequences of unsustainable development across oceanic and forest ecosystems.
Her in-depth visual investigations have been supported by international organisations such as the European Journalism Centre, the Earth Journalism Network, and the National Geographic Society. She co-founded Radar Magazine, a digital platform dedicated to environmental reporting, which brings together writers, scientists, and visual storytellers committed to addressing ecological crises.
Elisabetta’s project An Alien at My Table, supported by the National Geographic Storytelling Grant in 2022, brought attention to the rise of invasive blue crab populations in the Mediterranean as a result of climate-driven ocean changes. Her work regularly appears in leading international publications and is known for making complex environmental topics accessible to a wide audience.
In parallel with her journalistic work, Elisabetta has developed an artistic practice that examines the psychological and symbolic relationship between humans and the natural world. Drawing from her scientific training, she integrates experimental visual techniques into her photography to explore themes of loss, adaptation, and ecological memory.
One of her most evocative projects, Ti faccio vedere con gli occhi chiusi (“I show you with closed eyes”), uses a custom-built optical filter to emulate how plants ‘see’ through chlorophyll absorption. This work merges art and science to convey environmental vulnerability in ways that transcend language and data.
She has spoken at major forums, including the National Geographic Fest in Milan and the UNESCO Ocean Literacy World Conference in Venice. Through public engagement, long-form storytelling, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, Elisabetta encourages reflection on the environmental choices shaping our collective future.
Elisabetta’s fieldwork has taken her deep into communities affected by environmental degradation, where she often spends extended periods to understand and sensitively portray local experiences. In Indonesia, she examined the livelihoods of coastal dwellers, the impact of mangrove loss, and the toll of unregulated gold mining on health and biodiversity.
Her method combines scientific inquiry with human empathy, resulting in stories that resonate on both ecological and personal levels. From Mediterranean fishing ports to Indonesian forest frontiers, her investigations bring visibility to communities and ecosystems too often overlooked.
She co-founded Radar Magazine to provide a dedicated space for environmental journalism that blends scientific accuracy with compelling storytelling. Her images have been featured in 43 exhibitions across 12 countries on four continents, underscoring the global reach and relevance of her work.
Selected Awards and Recognitions:
– 2025: National Geographic Storytelling Grant – The Forest Effect
– 2024: The Fisherman, the Alien, the Sea – Best Humanitarian Interest Film, Toronto Documentary Short Film Festival; Winner, SEA Film Festival
– 2023: Winner, Make Mercury History Photo Contest; Shortlisted, Environmental Photographer of the Year – Adapting for Tomorrow
– 2022: Grand Prize Winner, Italian Sustainability Photo Award
– 2021: Grand Prize Winner, 78th Pictures of the Year International; National Geographic Emergency Journalism Fund – Covid Monologues
Public Speaking:
– 2024: Panel speaker, UNESCO Ocean Literacy World Conference, Venice
– 2023: Keynote speaker, National Geographic Fest, Milan
Exhibitions:
– 43 solo and group exhibitions held
