Ten years ago, when we published the first issue of The Tortoise, the vision was clear—the magazine was not going to be another scientific journal. That’s where storytelling comes in. Just ask conservation icon Jane Goodall, who famously began her career as a field biologist studying Chimpanzees in Tanzania at the age of 26 and has since become one of the natural world’s most influential champions.

Since our first issue, we have tried to do the same—to introduce readers to astonishing turtles and tortoises through compelling stories written by and about the remarkable human beings fighting for the planet’s future. Photographer, philanthropist, and nature-lover Helena Christensen is a perfect example. She has used her voice and platform as one of the world’s reigning supermodels to speak on behalf of refugees who have been displaced by political strife and climate change.

The stories in this issue take us around the globe and look at conservation through diverse lenses. As we emerge from the pandemic year, Andrew J. Wight delves into the effects of COVID-19 on illegal tortoise trafficking in Colombia, and Tetsuji Ida reports on the precarious state of native turtles in Japan. We meet contemporary artist Alexis Rockman, whose radiant paintings illuminate human entanglements with the natural world, and Tomas Diagne, a Senegalese conservationist who forged his career at a time when African herpetologists were rare. Different stories and different perspectives, all designed to celebrate Chelonians and their unique niche in our world.