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CNN: Striking photos show how our planet is changing – for better and for worse

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June 18th, 2024,
Nell Lewis, CNN
See the original CNN article here

A photograph of a solitary man walking along terraces in China, rust-red rivers in Alaska and a gargantuan western red cedar are among the winning images of the Earth Photo 2024 competition.

The award – created in 2018 by Forestry England, the UK’s Royal Geographic Society and visual arts consultancy Parker Harris – aims to showcase the beauty of our planet, as well as the threats it is facing, from climate change to toxic pollution.

More than 1,900 images and videos were submitted to this year’s competition by photographers and filmmakers from all over the world. The winners were announced last night at a ceremony at London’s Royal Geographical Society, ahead of an exhibition at the same location showcasing the evocative imagery.

Photographers Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni took the top prize with their “Tropicalia” series, which documents how Sicilian farmers are adapting in response to climate change. “Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and an increased risk of extreme events have transformed what was once Europe’s breadbasket into a testing ground for adaptation and survival,” they said in a press release.

Their images show how farmers are having to diversify: some are giving up their fields to solar energy systems, while others are pivoting to grow exotic fruits such as avocadoes and mangoes that thrive in the now tropical environment.

“Each inspiring image highlights the important stories of resistance, innovation and resilience at the frontline of climate change,” Louise Fedotov-Clements, head of Earth Photo’s jury and director of Photoworks UK, told CNN. “The series as a whole serves as an example of the future that awaits the whole continent.”

Whilst on a trip to Shetland, the biggest thing I wanted to do was photograph the Gannets as they feed underwater. The photography takes place at sea around some of the Shetland’s remotest headlands. Dead bait is used using fish the Gannets would normally eat locally sourced around Shetland. To be able to capture what goes on under the water was an unbelievable experience.

Other winning imagery depicts possible climate solutions, including Jennifer Adler’s “Corals of the Future” series that focuses on ocean science and the efforts to restore marine ecosystems in the world’s largest underwater coral nursery. A short film, “Ser Guardianes Madre Arbol” (“Becoming Guardians of Mother Tree”), by Marc Lathuillière, celebrates an indigenous community in northern Colombia that is fighting for the protection of rainforest and their ancestral lands.

The works highlight “the beauty, fragility, crisis and change happening in our natural environment,” said Mike Seddon, chief executive of Forestry England, in a press release. “Bringing us closer to landscapes, wildlife and communities from across the planet in this way sparks new conversations and reflections. And it prompts us to focus on the creative solutions needed for these environments to flourish beyond our lifetimes.”

Fedotov-Clements added that photography and film “represent a formidable means for raising awareness that can encourage us to adapt, innovate and invent sustainable solutions.”

“From the impact of climate change to the inspiring stories of resilience, this year’s powerful edition is sure to inspire stimulating dialogues about our environment,” she said.

 

A giant redcedar tree on Flores Island. Ahousaht Hereditary Representative Tyson Atleo stands at its base.

Watt’s award-winning image, Flores Island Cedar, features an enormous redcedar tree – perhaps the most impressive tree in Canada – with Tyson Atleo, an Indigenous Hereditary Representative of the local Ahousaht people, standing at the tree’s base providing a sense of scale.

A giant redcedar tree on Flores Island. Ahousaht Hereditary Representative Tyson Atleo stands at its base.

Times Colonist: Photo of old-growth cedar tree on Flores Island wins international award

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June 21, 2024
Times Colonist
Read the original article here

An image of a massive western red cedar towering over an Ahousaht hereditary leader has won an award in the Royal Geographical Society’s Earth Photo 2024 competition.

Titled Flores Island Cedar, the photo shows Tyson Atleo standing at the base of a western red cedar that’s estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.

The tree, which has been dubbed “the Wall,” or “ʔiiḥaq ḥumiis,” meaning “big red cedar” in the Nuu-chah-nulth language, stands about 46 metres tall and is five metres wide at the base.

Taken by TJ Watt, a photographer for the Ancient Forest Alliance, the photo won the National Trust Attingham Award for images showing the work or impact of volunteers protecting habitats under the threat of climate change.

The competition saw 1,900 photography and film submissions in 11 categories. Award-winning photographs were taken from Sicily, the Florida Keys, and Colombia’s Majo Atrato basin, as well as on Watt’s photo on Flores Island.

When the photograph was first taken, the tree was growing on unprotected Crown land. On Tuesday, B.C. announced an agreement with the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations to protect about 760 square kilometres of Crown land in Clayoquot Sound, where Flores Island is located.

“It’s not always the case that the forests featured in my photographs have a happy ending. But in this case, I’m so grateful that they do,” Watt said in a statement.

Watt’s photo will displayed at a dozen locations in the U.K., including at the Royal Geographical Society in London, where the Earth Photo exhibition continues until Aug. 21.

 

Clayoquot – Biggest Old-Growth Protected Areas Victory in Decades

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For Immediate Release
June 19, 2024

Biggest Old-Growth Protected Areas Victory in Years: Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and BC NDP Government Declare Protection of 76,000 hectares in Conservancies in Clayoquot Sound.

Conservationists are applauding the leadership of the Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and BC NDP government for yesterday declaring the protection of 76,000 hectares of land – an area about the size of Manning Provincial Park – in new conservancies in Clayoquot Sound near Tofino. Most of the lands committed for protection are comprised of some of the grandest and most intact coastal old-growth temperate rainforests on Earth, and the new protected areas will represent the largest old-growth forest protected areas victory in BC since the Great Bear Rainforest conservancies were announced in 2006. The historic milestone also includes major support from provincial, federal and conservation sources to facilitate sustainable economic development opportunities for the communities to facilitate their economic and social well-being.

Ahousaht Hereditary Representative Tyson Atleo looks toward an ancient redcedar deemed the “most impressive tree in Canada” on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound.

“This is truly a historic and great day – it warms my heart and makes me feel a deep contentment inside to see this vision finally come to fruition. This is a huge old-growth victory for the people and ecosystems in Clayoquot Sound, and for the people of BC and for the world. We greatly applaud the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht leadership for moving forward with their visions to protect the old-growth ecosystems in their territories, while working to build sustainable economies, and we give great thanks to the BC NDP government, the federal Liberal government and organizations like Nature United for supporting their initiatives. I expect the Clayoquot conservancies will further inspire many other communities across BC and Canada to undertake increased protection of the ecosystems in their territories to support their cultures and their people’s well-being, while working to build sustainable economies”, stated Ken Wu, Endangered Ecosystems Alliance executive director.

“I extend my deepest gratitude to the leadership and people of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation for bringing their incredible conservation visions to life in Clayoquot Sound. The embattled coastal rainforests of Clayoquot are famed for having some of the most impressive old-growth forests and trees on the planet, and it fills me with the greatest joy to know that the majority are now finally safe. The BC NDP government and the federal Liberal government also deserve credit for supporting this amazing initiative and bringing significant conservation dollars to the table. As we face the global climate and biodiversity crisis, conservation victories like these, which protect some of the grandest ecosystems on Earth while supporting the creation of more sustainable, conservation-based economies for local Indigenous people, are an inspiring model for other communities who may still be considering alternative paths forward and help buoy the heart. Today is a fantastic day”, stated TJ Watt, Ancient Forest Alliance photographer and campaigner.

More work remains to be done regarding potential mines in the remaining unprotected portions of Clayoquot Sound, while funding is needed for the long-term management of the protected areas.

An aerial view over the ancient forests of Meares Island in Tla’o’qui’aht territory, the site of the first blockades against old-growth logging in 1984 in Clayoquot Sound.

The Independent: Rare tree hunter in Canada finds ‘freak of nature’ 1,000-year-old cedar

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October 8, 2023
By Josh Marcus
The Independent UK

BC government has vowed to protect old-growth forests, but logging is on the rise

An explorer who focuses on location and preserving old-growth trees has encountered what is one of the oldest old-growth trees ever documented in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Last summer, TJ Watt was bushwhacking through a remote forest in Flores Island, part of Clayoquot Sound, in the territory of the Ahousaht First Nation off the west coast of Vancouver Island, when he came upon a magnificent site.

A massive red cedar appeared, whose trunk seemed to grow wider the farther up it went.

“It was incredible to stand before it,” he told The Washington Post. “I’d describe it as a freak of nature because it actually gets wider as it gets taller. As I looked up at it, I felt a sense of awe and wonder.”

“I’ve found thousands and thousands of trees, and I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of photos of old-growth forests,” he added. “But I’ve never seen a tree as impressive as this one.”

Ancient Forest Alliance photographer TJ Watt beside the gargantuan redcedar on the day he first found it.

After happening upon the tree, he consulted with members of the Ahousaht, who have lived in the territory for thousands of years. As part of the nation’s plans to protect over 80 per cent of their Clayoquot Sound lands as Ahousaht Cultural and Natural Areas, the Ahousaht will protect the giant tree Mr Watt experienced.

The western red cedar measures 151 feet tall and 17 feet wide, and is thought to be over 1,000 years old. Its exact location is being kept secret to protect its sensitive habitat from overuse.

“People would have seen this tree for hundreds of years — my people would have interacted with it for as long as it’s been here,” Tyson Atleo, a representative of the nation, told the Post. “Today we covet these large trees because there are so few of them left.”

Old-growth forests are key reserves of biodiversity and resilience in the face of the climate crisis.

In 2020, the government of British Columbia embarked on what it promised would be a paradigm-shifting new approach to managing these vital forests.

The following year, it consulted with 204 First Nations on whether they supported deferring logging of these forests for the next two years while officials formulated “a new approach to sustainable forest management that prioritizes ecosystem health and community resiliency.”

Critics argue the effort to preserve the forests hasn’t been adequately funded and implemented thus far.

Outlets like Mongabay have documented clear-cutting on Vancouver Island forests slated for protection.

According to analysis of public data, logging of these forests actually increased between 2020 and 2021 by around 13 per cent, CBC reports.

“These are the most resilient forests we have left with a fighting chance to withstand climate change like drought, fire and flooding,” Sierra Club’s Jens Wieting told the outlet. “If we continue to nibble away at the last old-growth we will be left defenceless.”

Read the original article.

The Washington Post: ‘Freak of nature’ tree is the find of a lifetime for forest explorer

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October 8, 2023
By Cathy Free
The Washington Post – Read the original article.

Tree Hunter TJ Watt found the cedar in British Columbia standing 151 feet tall and about 17 feet in diameter

TJ Watt has spent half his life as a forest explorer, a self-described “tree hunter” in British Columbia. He wades deep into endangered forests to find pristine towering trees that are hundreds of years old and massively wide but have never been photographed or documented.

He draws attention to the enormous old-growth trees to show the importance of saving the natural wonders from logging.

The day he approached a gargantuan western red cedar he’d been trekking with a friend for several hours in a remote area on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound in Ahousaht territory off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

“After bush whacking for a while in the woods, we started to see some really large cedars, then suddenly, up ahead, we could see the looming trunk of this giant tree,” he said. “It was so large that at first, we almost thought we were looking at two trees.”

As he drew closer to the tree, Watt said he was overcome with disbelief: He was dwarfed by a tree standing 151 feet tall and 17 and a half feet in diameter.

The tree, believed to be more than 1,000 years old, was the find of a lifetime. It’s one of the largest old-growth cedars ever documented in British Columbia, Watt said.

“I feel humbled every time I think about it,” said Watt, 39. “I nicknamed it ‘The Wall,’ because it can only be described as a literal wall of wood.”

An aerial view over the old-growth forests of Flores Island in Ahousaht territory, Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia. (TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance)

He said this was a first in his 20 years of tree hunting.

“I’ve found thousands and thousands of trees, and I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of photos of old-growth forests,” he said. “But I’ve never seen a tree as impressive as this one.”

Watt felt humbled by the discovery.

“It was incredible to stand before it,” he said. “I’d describe it as a freak of nature because it actually gets wider as it gets taller. As I looked up at it, I felt a sense of awe and wonder.”

He found the tree in June 2022, but he didn’t alert the public about it until the end of July this year because he wanted to make sure the tree was thoroughly documented, and also wanted input from Ahousaht First Nation members who have lived in the territory for thousands of years.

“It was decided that we should keep the tree’s location a secret because these are sensitive areas, and everything could get pretty trampled if word got out where to find it,” Watt said.

The Ahousaht First Nation has about 2,400 members, with 1,100 living on Flores Island, said Tyson Atleo, a hereditary representative for the nation, someone who is a caretaker of the nation’s cultural traditions and history.

Atleo said he didn’t know about the colossal cedar until Watt took him to see it.

Ancient Forest Alliance photographer TJ Watt and Ahousaht hereditary representative Tyson Atleo with the ancient western red cedar tree that is among the largest ever documented in British Columbia. (TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance)

“The tree leaves you with a sense of wonder about the natural world and the universe,” said Atleo, 37. “There is so much about that tree and the life it upholds that we will never understand. When you look at it, it hits you like that.”

He said the Ahousaht people would have admired it over the ages.

“People would have seen this tree for hundreds of years — my people would have interacted with it for as long as it’s been here,” he said. “Today we covet these large trees because there are so few of them left.”

Canada’s largest tree, widely recognized as the Cheewhat Giant, was first documented in 1988 measuring about 19 feet in diameter and 182 feet in height, according to the Ancient Forest Alliance. It’s located in the protected Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

While it is protected, about 80% of the original, productive old-growth forests on Vancouver Island have been logged, satellite photos show, according to the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Too many old-growth trees have been cut down for timber rather than being recognized for their value providing habitat for wildlife and storing vast amounts of carbon, Atleo said. An old-growth forest is typically described as a forest containing trees that have developed over hundreds of years, with unique characteristics that are not found in younger forests.

British Columbia has a plan to protect its old-growth forests, but many conservationists have found government implementation of the plan to be slow, said Watt.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

Atleo said his nation now operates an eco-cultural tour company to showcase some of the territory’s old-growth trees (the tree found by Watt won’t be included), and his community is working to get financing to save more ancient forests. The nation has protected 80 percent of its Clayoquot Sound lands on Vancouver Island’s western coast, and the nation will now protect the large tree that Watt documented, he said.

Tyson Atleo is a hereditary representative of the Ahousaht First Nation. (TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance)

“We need to acknowledge that our community is reliant on some [logging] employment in the forest sector, but we are envisioning doing it in a better and new way,” Atleo said. “TJ’s work is helping raise public awareness and inspiring people to feel connected to these forests.”

Watt said he undertook the Flores Island tree-hunting expedition as an explorer for National Geographic and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, through a grant provided by the Trebek Initiative, a group that funds photographers and others who contribute to Canadian wildlife projects.

Watt shares photos of the giant trees on social media and his Ancient Forest Alliance website.

“I was excited to post the photos because I knew people would be as blown away by the tree as I was,” he said, adding that he also shared some of his first photos of the enormous cedar with the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

These 2020 photos show TJ Watt with a giant red cedar tree before and after it was cut down by loggers in the Caycuse watershed in Ditidaht First Nation territory on southern Vancouver Island. The tree was close to 150 feet tall and 10 feet wide in diameter, Watt said, adding that he hopes to save other old-growth trees from the same fate through his conservation photography work. (TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance)

Watt lives in Victoria, where he grew up in the small town of Metchosin, climbing trees and playing in the woods, he said.

“It was a lush place with forested hillsides — you had the fog rolling through the forest, sunbeams coming in and moss hanging off everything,” he said.

Watt honed his photography skills, he said, and in 2010 he co-founded the Ancient Forest Alliance nonprofit to both document the trees and try to preserve them.

He said he’s now in the woods every chance he gets to explore and photograph some of the most rugged landscapes in British Columbia.

“I look at maps and study satellite imagery of forests to pick an area, then I pack my bags with cameras and communication gear and that’s when the fun starts,” Watt said.

He is often exploring for days at a time and usually takes somebody with him.

“We’ll drive on the back roads, then get out and walk into the woods, and that’s the magic of it,” he said.

TJ Watt grew up with forests in his backyard, and he now spends most of his time documenting old-growth trees. (TJ Watt/Ancient Forest Alliance)

Although he’d visited Flores Island before, he said he was looking forward to exploring more of the island’s 96 square miles of forests. He’s still stunned by what he found there.

“I know I’m not the first person to see this big tree — the Ahousaht people have inhabited this area since time immemorial,” he said. “But I feel honored in modern times to be the first to notice and document it.”