Vital

Conservation International and award-winning National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale present VITAL — an invitation to witness the irreplaceable.

VITAL brings together art and stories from seven international photographers, offering an intimate look at the places in nature we cannot afford to lose if we are to stabilize our climate.

In 2021, Conservation International scientists identified ecosystems containing vast stores of “irrecoverable carbon” — from mangroves to wetlands and old-growth forests — that are under threat. These unique landscapes hold immense amounts of carbon accumulated over centuries. If destroyed, they will release that carbon into the atmosphere, fueling climate change.

VITAL goes beyond the data to share the stories of these essential places, inviting you to experience the awe-inspiring power of nature. From the tropical forests and peatlands of the Amazon to the temperate rainforests of North America, these photographs remind us what’s at stake — and why we must act.

VITAL includes the work of

• Ami Vitale — Montane forests of Kenya; mangroves and rainforests of West Papua, Indonesia; and old-growth temperate rainforests of North America
• Reuben Wu — Flooded forests of Cambodia
• Maíra Erlich — Mangroves and coastal forests of Guyana
• Tamara Dean — Eucalyptus forests of Australia
• Adeolu Osibodu — Rainforests of Liberia
• Jim Naughten — Peatlands of Scotland
• Musuk Nolte — Swamp forests of the Peruvian Amazon
• Nick Brandt — Rainforests of Bolivia, montane forests and savannah of Kenya, woodlands of Zimbabwe