Does Nature Photography Harm the Environment?

What may have at first glance seemed like a simple question is actually quite complex. Sure, nature photography is an excellent way to sure the beauty of the natural world with people who may not be able to appreciate it first-hand. And in fact, in some cases it may be a powerful tool to raise awareness about animals that are on the verge of extinction! Using photography to promote the conservation of animals goes all the back to the 1860s during the exploration of the American West when William Henry Jackson photographed the nature and wildlife, convincing congress to create Yellowstone National Park.
Later photographers like Ansel Adams also had a strong role in this. However, recently another argument has come into the light. Bill McKibben promotes the idea that the world has enough images of animals and argues that the over-abundance of images makes it seem unlikely that there is actually a shortage of any one species. Could it be that there is really too much wildlife photography or that the photographers fail to reflect the diversity of the animal kingdom? The bottom line is that both amateur and pro photographers want the animals to live on and must be as respectful as possible to the nature and species when getting their shot.