Page 80 - Sharp September 2024

FINDING HOPE
WITH THE HELP OF THE ROLEX PERPETUAL PLANET INITIATIVE, CRISTINA MITTERMEIER’S NEW PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK IS DEDICATED TO EXPLORING THE POWER OF HOPE
By Jeremy Freed
D URING HER DECADES-LONG CAREER AS A CONSERVATION
photographer, Cristina Mittermeier has visited some of the world’s most remote places and photographed its most elusive creatures. She has swum with sperm whales, documented communities around the globe, and captured images of underwater ecosystems never seen by human eyes. She has also witnessed firsthand the impact humans have had on these places, from bleached coral reefs in the Pacific to the destructive effects of climate change on sea life in the Canadian Arctic. Despite being an eyewitness to the ongoing,
and in many cases irreversible, damage humans are causing to the planet, Mittermeier has not lost hope. Instead, she’s redoubled her efforts to convince corporate and government leaders to take action before it’s too late. In her new book, Hope, Mittermeier captures the urgency of this message and the beauty of what we stand to lose.
“It’s a bit like building a levee to protect yourself against the flood of bad news and hopelessness in the world,” says Mittermeier, who recently returned from an expedition to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. “I’m hoping that people, as they go through the pages of this book, can encounter these little nuggets of hope and take them with them throughout their days.”
Born and raised in Mexico and now based on Vancouver Island, Mittermeier has earned global renown for creating breathtaking images that draw attention to environmental causes. In 2005, Mittermeier founded the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), coining the term “conservation photography” in the process. In 2014, Mittermeier and her partner, fellow conservation photographer Paul Nicklen, founded SeaLegacy, a nonprofit dedicated to using visual storytelling to make a positive impact on the world’s oceans. More recently, Mittermeier and Nicklen have partnered with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, which supports their work as part of its ongoing mission to safeguard and preserve the planet for future generations.
With a foreword by actor and conservationist Robert Redford
80 SEPTEMBER 2024
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