Hope

＂HOPE is a manifesto of human interrelationship with Nature and gives a gentle and optimistic perspective on the environmental issues.＂--Caterina De Biasio, Vogue

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM RENOWNED CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHER CRISTINA MITTERMEIER, WITH A FOREWORD BY ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST AND ACTOR ROBERT REDFORD.

From ocean shores and Arctic glaciers to some of the most remote indigenous communities in the world, HOPE explores humanity’s relationship with the planet and possibilities for a mindful, sustainable future.

This artistic manifesto is a celebration of the beauty of our planet’s biodiversity and a tribute to indigenous wisdom and stewardship, weaving photographer and marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier’s personal narrative with meaningful visual stories from a journey spanning over 130 countries, across every continent. Through her lens, Mittermeier explores the complex relationships that tie us to the natural world and to each other. Her images reflect a commitment to environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and social equity.

With its radiant photography and candid prose, HOPE explores the beauty of an interconnected world: the majesty of a whale surfacing to catch its breath, the wise power of Madagascar’s baobabs, and the extraordinary resilience of people like the Kayapó fighting to save the Amazon rainforest.

This impressive, bilingual English-French volume is divided into six sections--Indigenous Wisdom, Oceans of Hope, Icy Realms, The After Life, Heirs to the Earth, Interconnected--and features a foreword by legendary American actor and environmental activist Robert Redford. Part of the proceeds of this book will directly benefit the people, communities and projects featured in its pages.

Cristina Mittermeier has dedicated her entire professional life to championing the preservation of biodiversity and documenting the lives of indigenous peoples who struggle to continue to preserve their culture. Her commitment has been expressed for nearly 35 years through her photographic work, her involvement in environmental NGOs - since 2014 within her SeaLegacy NGO - and the writing of numerous works as author or co-author. Cristina’s work has been published in hundreds of publications, including National Geographic Magazine, McLean’s and TIME.
Cristina was born in Mexico City in 1966 and grew up in nearby Cuernavaca, in the sunny state of Morelos. She graduated from the ITESM University in Mexico with a degree in Biochemical Engineering in Marine Sciences and later attended the Fine Art Photography program at the Corcoran College for the Arts in Washington, D.C. In 2005 she founded the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) to provide a platform for photographers working on environmental issues. In 2014, she co-founded Sea Legacy, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the ocean, with her partner, Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen.

Her work makes a real distinction between simply photographing nature and what it means to use images to protect nature. As an environmental activist, she pioneered the concept and field of conservation photography.

Robert Redford is the most famous American actor. A producer and director, he also founded the American Independent Film Festival. A lover of the great outdoors, he has always been very attentive to the protection of nature and campaigns for the conservation of biodiversity. This preface text is further proof of his unwavering support for the work of Cristina Mittermeier and her SeaLegacy foundation.