SeaLegacy: On The Frontline

How conservation photography is fighting climate change.

- Oliver Jarvis

A great photograph can capture the world’s attention – it freezes a moment, grabs a feeling, and makes itself known. And now, on this ever-changing blue planet – the power of the photograph seems needed more than ever.

Standing as two of the most influential wildlife photographers in the industry, Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier have amassed a portfolio of images that have captivated global audiences. From face-to-face encounters with inquisitive leopard seals on the Antarctic Peninsula, to documenting the unique existence of “sea wolves” in British Columbia, collectively through their imagery they have revealed hidden worlds and shattered misconceptions. As conservation photographers – a phrase that Cristina herself coined – they have used photography as a platform to step up the fight to protect the environment.

Through diving in some of the most extreme locations, “we have seen change that has been escalating and intensifying with each passing year,” Nicklen told SD OCEAN PLANET. “Over the last two decades, I have seen the sea ice in the Arctic literally diminish, [and] in the next 20 years, there will be no sea ice in the summer months.”

Paul and Cristina have witnessed huge numbers of wildlife suffer due to climate change. “We saw hundreds of marine mammals, including orcas, whales, seals, and otters die through the ingestion of toxic algae, or by starvation from schooling fish being out of reach due to migrating to cooler waters.” These impacts are due to temperatures rising by as much as seven degrees in some places.