ADVENTURERS OF THE YEAR
The wi ldl i fe photographers CRISTINA MITTERMEIER AND PAUL NICKLEN
Photographers and conservation activists Cristina Mit termeier and Paul Nicklen are founders of the non-prof it Sea Legacy.
ADVENTURE ISN’T SO MUCH A PLACE, AS A STATE OF MIND. The call to adventure begins when you step outside of your comfort zone and embrace the unknown. The late explorer Knud Rasmussen once said that a true explorer is one that journeys to a place where when you look around you, all you see is uncertainty. To do the kind of work we do, you must feel a little uncertain or afraid; that’s how we know we are in the right place.
LOOKING OUT INTO THE CALM SURFACE OF THE OCEAN, THERE’S AN UNQUESTIONABLE CALL TO EXPLORE, ENJOY AND DISCOVER. As first-hand witnesses of the immense threat to the integrity of our oceans, it’s also the impending disaster posed by the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mentality. We’ve dumped untold amounts of trash, pollutants, and plastics into the ocean, and at the same time, we’ve taken out
more than our fair share of resources. We’ve ‘mined’ fish as if they were an inexhaustible resource and even aſter all the painful lessons we’ve learned from the whaling era, some countries still insist on slaughtering the largest residents of our seas. Personally, we’re on a mission to shine a light on some of the darkest corners of our ocean.
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE FACE IS A PUBLIC SENSE OF APATHY GROWN OUT OF IGNORANCE. To get public participation and policy action, we need to do more to educate a public that’s become disconnected from nature and science.
WE’RE BOTH TRAINED AS SCIENTISTS AND WE BOTH DISCOVERED THAT TRYING TO COMMUNICATE SCIENCE THROUGH DATA IS A REAL CHALLENGE. Most people aren’t trained to interpret scientific data, so there’s a real intellectual barrier to sharing an understanding of how our
planet’s ecology works. We’ve found that communicating the underpinnings of science through photography is a much more effective way to open a dialogue. Through short stories, we can invite people into a conversation, and through interactive storytelling, we’re much better poised to share ideas on how to navigate modern life with more planetary integrity.
VERY FEW EXPERIENCES COMPARE TO SPENDING TIME WITH A BLUE WHALE, SHARKS OR EVEN SEA LIONS, ON THEIR OWN TERMS. Entering a realm for which we’re so poorly adapted to spend time with creatures who are entirely at ease, is both humbling and very educational.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE ODDEST CIRCUMSTANCE/PLACE YOU’VE FOUND YOURSELF IN? Coming up from a dive into a nudist beach was pretty odd.
sealegacy.org
FROM LEFT: Cristina
Mittermeier setting off;
Paul Nicklen on a shoot
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natgeotraveller.co.uk
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