Each year, amateur and stunt pilots alike descend on an otherwise quiet Midwestern tarmac for a high-flying extravaganza that appears to throw caution to the wind—except for a brilliant team of air-traffic controllers stepping into the chaos.

On West Africa’s stunningly diverse Bioko Island, rare primates are being slaughtered to feed a growing bush-meat trade. When a team of photographers and conservationists documented the island’s biodiversity, they found that Bioko’s forests remain healthy, but its extraordinary animal life may not survive.

Four major updates could alter the way the act is administered—and how animals are protected.