June 18th, 2024
The Guardian
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Ancient Forest Alliance photographer TJ Watt’s award-winning image of a giant old-growth cedar on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound was also featured alongside the other winning images in The Guardian. Click the image below to see the full story and list of winning images!
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.
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.
June 21, 2024
Times Colonist
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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.
For Immediate Release
June 21, 2024
Ancient Forest Alliance Photographer TJ Watt awarded Royal Geographical Society Earth Photo 2024 prize for Image of the Enormous Tree in Clayoquot Sound, Canada, featured on CNN and in The Guardian.
The award coincides with the largest old-growth protected areas victory in decades announced earlier this week in Clayoquot Sound, including for the forest pictured.
Ancient Forest Alliance Photographer and Campaigner TJ Watt has received an award in Earth Photo 2024, an international photography competition currently on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London, UK. His award-winning image, titled Flores Island Cedar, features a gargantuan redcedar tree – perhaps the most impressive tree in Canada – with Tyson Atleo, an Indigenous Hereditary Representative of the local Ahousaht people, standing next to the tree’s base providing a sense of scale. Watt located the enormous tree in 2022 on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound in the unceded territory of the Ahousaht on western Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The contest, which saw over 1900 entries from around the world and 11 award winners, celebrates photography and moving images that tell compelling stories about our planet, its inhabitants, its beauty, resilience and fragility.
“I’m thrilled and honoured to have received an award in the Earth Photo 2024 contest. I always hope my images of old-growth forests reach as wide an audience as possible, inspiring people and raising global awareness of the need to protect them. The tree in the winning image is the largest one I’ve ever found in nearly 20 years of searching for big trees in BC. It’s more than 17 feet (5 meters) wide near its base, 151 feet tall (46 meters), and likely well over a thousand years old, given its size. Unlike most other trees, it grows wider as it gets taller, making it perhaps the most impressive tree in the country when you’re standing before it. In the photo, Ahousaht Hereditary Representative Tyson Atleo stands alongside the mammoth-sized trunk, adding a sense of scale during our visit to the tree in 2023”, stated TJ Watt, Photographer & Campaigner with the Ancient Forest Alliance.
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.
Coincidently, the photo award announcement happened to closely coincide with the biggest old-growth protected areas victory in decades when, earlier this week, the leadership of the Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, and BC NDP government declared the protection of 76,000 hectares of land in new conservancies in Clayoquot Sound near Tofino, BC. Most of the lands committed for protection are comprised of some of the grandest and most intact coastal old-growth temperate rainforests on Earth, including the forest where Watt’s winning photo was captured.
“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. The announcement of the new conservancies in Clayoquot is incredible news, and I extend my deepest gratitude to the leadership and vision of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht people, who’ve now secured protection for some of the grandest old-growth rainforests on Earth in their territories. Their proper care and stewardship go back thousands of years, and as a result, one can still find themselves standing in magnificent ancient forests home to trees that have lived for more than a millennium. A special thanks to Tyson Atleo and the Ahousaht Guardians for their time spent with me in the woods as well”, stated Watt.
Watt’s image was specifically awarded the National Trust Attingham Award for images that show the work or impact of volunteers protecting habitats under the threat of climate change. A second image of Watt’s titled Fallen Giants, featuring him laying atop a freshly fallen old-growth redcedar tree cut down in Quatsino territory on northern Vancouver Island, was also shortlisted in the competition. Both images were part of a body of work Watt created with support from the Trebek Initiative, which also named him a National Geographic and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer.
The winning images of Earth Photo 2024 have also attracted international attention, with high-profile features in The Guardian and CNN. BC-based photographer Taylor Roades was also awarded for her series Alaska Rust Rivers.
To view the collection of winning images online, visit the Royal Geographical Society website or the Parker Harris website.
“Congratulations to all the shortlisted and winning photographers for their stunning and thought-provoking images. Photography is a powerful tool for raising public awareness about the many issues our fragile Earth faces. Thanks to the Royal Geographical Society, Parker Harris, Forestry England, and all those who made Earth Photo possible, helping to get these images and messages out in front of the world”, stated Watt.
Earth Photo was jointly created in 2018 by Forestry England, The Royal Geographical Society and Parker Harris, one of the leading visual arts consultancies in the UK. For those looking to view the images in person, they will be on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London, UK, from June 18 – August 21, 2024, with additional exhibit times listed here.
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.
December 15, 2023
The Cool Down
By Jeremiah Budin
A nature photographer in British Columbia discovered one of the largest old-growth cedars ever documented off the coast of Vancouver Island — and he’s not telling you or anyone else how to find it.
TJ Watt, a co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, a charitable organization that works to protect endangered old-growth forests, waited more than a year after first happening across the massive tree, which he nicknamed “The Wall,” to even tell the world about its existence, according to The Washington Post.
During that time, Watt consulted with members of the Ahousaht First Nation, who have lived in the area 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 told the Post.
He also took time to thoroughly measure and document The Wall. It is believed that the massive tree is over 1,000 years old, standing 151 feet tall and 17 and a half feet in diameter.
“I’ve found thousands and thousands of trees, and I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of photos of old-growth forests,” Watt told the Post. “But I’ve never seen a tree as impressive as this one.”
“It was incredible to stand before it,” he continued. “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.”
Canada’s largest documented tree, a humongous red cedar known as the Cheewhat Giant, is located in the protected Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and stands 182 feet tall and 19 feet in diameter, per the Post.
Old-growth forests play an essential role in wildlife habitat, species diversity, carbon storage, and other crucial ecological processes. However, like so many parts of the natural world, they are threatened by pollution, the effects of human-caused extreme weather events, and the logging industry.
Although trees such as the Cheewhat Giant are protected, per the Post, 80% of the original old-growth forests on Vancouver Island have already been logged, according to the Ancient Forest Alliance. That’s why it is essential that The Wall stays protected and its location unreleased.
July 27, 2023
The National Observer
By Clayton Keim
An enormous old-growth cedar tree has been identified in Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Sound, possibly dating back over a millennium.
The western redcedar reaches a towering height of 46 metres and stands five metres wide at its base.
It is currently the sixth largest redcedar in Canada, according to the BC Big Tree Registry. TJ Watt, a photographer with the Ancient Forest Alliance, was awed when he initially encountered the tree. “It was absolutely mind-blowing.
“It didn’t even look like a tree at first from a distance; it looks more like a rock wall,” he said. “It really defies words, and it stands in a class of its own.”
The Ahousaht Nation, whose territory encompasses many old-growth forests including those on Clayoquot Sound, has been aware of the tree for some time. The decision to highlight its existence was made, in part, to promote the protection of old-growth trees across B.C. “We need to do more to protect these types of forests because there are fewer and fewer left,” said Tyson Atleo, hereditary representative for the Ahousaht Nation.
“We know that we are causing significant destruction of old-growth rainforests that we are really collectively dependent on as a species for the biodiversity that they uphold, as well as for carbon sequestration.”
Many comparable old-growth cedars in B.C. are widest at the base, gradually tapering off as they grow larger. Watt was shocked when this tree inverted the structure of comparable trees. “The trunk expands ever wider as it goes up into this sprawling, fortress-like canopy,” he said, going on to describe it as “the most impressive tree in Canada given its size.”
Cedar trees hold a unique significance to the Ahousaht Nation due to their versatility and abundance; they are used for housing, cooking and transportation. Bark that is stripped and soaked in water becomes soft and pliable, and is used for clothing.
“Cedar is really the tree of life to our people, as it provides us with the materials to live a healthy and happy life in this region,” said Atleo.
Research into old-growth forests has applications for both medicine and ecological conservation. “The canopy of this tree is filled with various types of epiphytes [moss, ferns and lichens], other trees, moss maps and canopy soils,” explained Watt. “Undoubtedly, there are new species to be found suspended up above the forest floor.” For those discoveries to take place, however, old-growth forests must be protected.
Conservation groups are calling for the B.C. government to recognize the importance of arboreal protection. “If they skirt around the forests that are most at risk and only protect those that were not truly at risk of logging to begin with, then it won’t be doing justice to these forests,” Watt said.
Read the original article here.
