Ami Vitale
Organizing photographer for Vital project highlighting irrecoverable carbon in Indonesia, Kenya and Canada
Artist Statement
Indonesia
Deep in the heart of Southeast Asia the palm oil industry expands under the glossy banner of “sustainability," but leaves behind a footprint fraught with destruction and debate. Yet, this struggle is not only about the environment but also embodies a deeper narrative: the survival of cultures and communities rooted in these lush landscapes.
From a distance, biofuels seem an inviting alternative to fossil fuels, promising a greener tomorrow. However, their sustainable label only sticks when developed on degraded lands—an exception rather than a rule. This nuance is often lost amidst discussions that detract from another critical consequence: global food insecurity spurred by biofuel production.
In regions like West Papua, renowned as one of the world's irreplaceable carbon sanctuaries, deforestation is particularly irreversible. The forests, peatlands, and mangroves here trap vast amounts of carbon; their eradication accelerates climate change—a detail too frequently glossed over as industrial ambitions progress.
While debates over sustainability and food security rage on, they obscure another critical cost felt by those living among these trees. For centuries, rivers nestled within these woodlands flowed crystal clear. Local communities, rich in tradition, depended on them for fishing and agriculture, cultivating knowledge passed down through generations. As lush canopies fell to make way for monoculture, vital habitats disappeared, wildlife was displaced, and some species faced extinction. The rich tapestry of forest life gave way to the uniformity of plantation fields. Today, pollution scars these waters, salaries from promised jobs rarely materialize, and many find themselves trapped in exploitative labor conditions, fragmented from their cultural roots.
Erosion of natural resources contributed to the dilution of ancestral knowledge—a crucial understanding of how to live in harmony with nature. As elders’ teachings were overshadowed by economic pressure, cultural practices began to wane. Today, communities grapple with the aftereffects of unchecked palm oil expansion, desperate to reclaim their identities and restore their heritage.
In South Sorong, West Papua, the indigenous Nakna Sub-tribe and its neighbors live in deep connection to their land, viewing the forest and ocean as “Mother” and “Father.” Threatened by corporations seeking to convert ancient forests into plantations, these communities have resisted manipulation and coercion—such as when influential members were pressured into signing away their lands during meetings far removed from their realities.
Amid mounting tensions and rejection of corporate agreements, advocates within the community like Chief Nikko and activist Francine Sianggo emphasize the importance of preserving their sacred forests. In response to their urgent plight, the villagers allied with Konservasi Indonesia (KI) in June 2021 to launch a “participatory mapping initiative”. This project was not merely a technical exercise; it established essential boundaries to safeguard their customary lands while fostering a sense of stewardship among younger generations.
Roberth Mandosir, KI's Papua Program Director, noted, “Participatory mapping encourages our people to understand their heritage. It helps them see the value in protecting what is rightfully theirs,” effectively revitalizing cultural traditions and inspiring collective action.
Living under the shadow of deforestation, the Sianggo sisters—Hendrina, Marice, and the outspoken Fransina—embody the advocacy spirit for their ancestral lands. Fransina eloquently remarked, “It’s about taking just enough,” reinforcing a lifestyle intertwined with the ecosystem and rooted in sustainable practices.
After years of persistent activism, May 2024 heralded a landmark Supreme Court ruling affirming the villagers' rights to their ancestral lands. This victory resonated throughout the region, kindling movements across Indonesia and instilling hope that even small communities could challenge power dynamics and effect change.
However, this judicial win marks just one chapter in an ongoing struggle against deforestation. Continuous vigilance is needed, supported by the belief that “Conservation is not a one-day job.” Elders stress that the community seeks “not wealth through destruction, but to thrive through harmony,” ensuring that future generations inherit vibrant traditions and a thriving environment.
In a rapidly changing world, the resilience shown by the Sianggo sisters and their community offers a powerful testament to the strength of unity and tradition. By utilizing contemporary tools such as legal advocacy and strategic alliances with conservation organizations like KI, they’ve stood firm against encroaching threats. Their story breathes life into the notion that collective action can generate meaningful changes both locally and globally, embodying a vision of hope for their community and all who strive for justice and sustainability on our shared planet.
Kenya
When Kenya wildlife rangers first spotted the 1-month-old elephant in the Samburu region of northern Kenya in 2017, she appeared distressed and alone. They couldn’t find her mother, but they did discover an elephant carcass nearby, believed to be hers.
Rescuers brought the baby elephant, later named Kapai, to the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, where she quickly formed a close friendship with another calf named Lemorijo, who had been separated from his mother at just two months old. Together, these young elephants forged an unbreakable bond, providing each other with comfort and affection in their new home. Over the next six years, Kapai grew into the strong matriarch of the orphan herd, guiding them with the tenderness a mother would have shown her own babies.
Fast forward to August 2024, seven years later, when Kapai and 12 other orphaned elephants were finally strong enough and fully weaned to be released back into the wild. This journey was filled with hope, celebration, and bittersweet farewells. Surrounded by the rugged Mathews Mountains and vast stretches of pristine wilderness, the area offered a perfect new home for these magnificent creatures.
The forest serves a dual purpose: it provides vital habitat for elephants and acts as one of our planet's most important carbon sinks. The Mathews Range contains significant amounts of irrecoverable carbon, making its preservation crucial in the fight against climate change. Recent scientific research indicates that some natural carbon stores are so extensive and take so long to rebuild that losing them would have dire consequences for the Earth. By settling in this forest, Kapai and her herd contribute to biodiversity, supporting not only their own species but also helping to stabilize the ecosystem.
Founded by the local Samburu community in 2016, Reteti is a groundbreaking sanctuary dedicated to rehabilitating and rewilding orphaned elephants. Situated within the Namunyak Community Conservancy—a vast 850,000-acre area of diverse ecosystems—it holds deep cultural significance for the Samburu people, who share strong ties to elephants and the natural world.
At Reteti, caretakers adopted innovative approaches to nurture the elephants. By introducing goat milk into their diets, they transformed the survival rate of vulnerable infants from 50% to an astounding 98%. This shift showcased traditional knowledge—Samburu women often used goat milk for their own babies—and empowered women in the community, allowing them to supply up to 500 liters of goat milk daily. This initiative has enabled many families to earn an income while investing in their children’s education and fostering financial independence.
As the time for release approached, the keepers prepared for a new phase in Kapai’s life, employing a “soft release” strategy that allowed her and her herd to acclimate to their new environment before joining a larger wild herd. This method ensured they could explore and familiarize themselves with the abundant water sources and lush vegetation waiting for them in the Mathews Range forest.
The symbolism of the release day was powerful, featuring a vibrant ceremony where Samburu women sang songs of protection for the elephants as they ventured into their natural home. Villagers gathered, hands folded and voices raised, invoking blessings upon these gentle giants as they began their new chapter of freedom.
During their first days in the wild, Kapai and her herd roamed approximately 60 miles, culminating in their integration with another wild elephant group. The sight of them moving freely among towering trees, finding ample food and water, painted a hopeful picture of survival and resilience.
However, the parting was bittersweet for the keepers. As Lemorijo and most others dashed off without a backward glance, Kapai lingered, stretching her trunk towards her caretakers, rumbling softly, and briefly holding back, wistfully acknowledging the love she had shared with her human family.
With tears reflecting both joyous memories and a sense of loss in their eyes, the keepers offered quiet prayers for Kapai and her companions. They understood that this transition represented both a goodbye and a celebration of life’s recurring cycles, where elephants thrive, communities flourish, and nature finds a resilient balance.
In this harmonious interplay between the elephants, the forest, and the vibrant Samburu culture, the legacy of Reteti continues to evolve, illustrating how interconnected we all are to the very essence of life on Earth.
British Columbia
Stepping into the shade of an ancient old-growth cedar, one that has stood sentinel on this earth for perhaps 2,000 years, the damp, earthy air is thick with a sense of history and vitality. Pressing my ear against its gnarled trunk and feeling its expansive branches wrapping around me, I can almost hear the deep pulse of life coursing through, in rhythm with my own heartbeat. Standing beneath this towering canopy, I am overwhelmed by an acute awareness of the countless seasons it has weathered—the storms it has endured, the wildlife it has sheltered, and the quiet witness it has been to histories unfolding story. But these ancient giants and the ecosystems they are a part of embody not just the past but also future possibilities. Standing in the embrace of this forest, I am reminded that this simultaneously powerful and fragile place, the Rainbow-Jordan wilderness, is currently unprotected.
Here, in the heart of British Columbia, also lies the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, a place where access is strictly regulated; it belongs solely to the bears whose daily wanderings stamp deep footprints into the moss—a lush carpet that dates back decades, if not millennia. While this sanctuary now boasts Canada’s densest population of grizzlies, its history reveals a different narrative, one born from a determined fight to protect it.
In 1982, the Khutzeymateen was slated for logging when wildlife biologist and conservation icon Wayne McCrory received an anonymous tip pointing him to the unique valley along the northwest coast. He ventured to the area alongside bear researchers Stephen Herrero and Ralph Archibald. “We were so overwhelmed by the giant trees and the bears,” McCrory recalls. This powerful experience inspired them to mobilize research and advocacy efforts to secure the area’s protection. As they mapped the extraordinary landscape—home to the largest contiguous stand of old-growth Sitka spruce in the world—their awe and commitment grew.
A pivotal moment came that same year when, prior to the province's eventual ban on grizzly-bear trophy hunting, a 185-mile hunting prohibition was established around the inlet after the area was evaluated for logging viability. Over subsequent years, the trio collaborated with high-profile conservation groups, legislators, film crews, and the nearby Lax Kw’alaams First Nation to galvanize support for safeguarding this vital habitat. Ultimately, their efforts bore fruit: in 1994, during a ceremonial signing attended by local hereditary chiefs and Prince Philip, Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary was designated as a Class A Provincial Park. By 2008, further protections extended around the mouth of the inlet, solidifying its significance as a refuge for grizzlies.
Indigenous First Nations are central to this conservation narrative. Their deep-rooted cultural ties and traditional ecological knowledge have been instrumental in shaping the dialogue surrounding preservation. Generations of stewardship have endowed them with insights that offer bridges between historical practices and modern environmental science, illuminating pathways for safeguarding our shared planet.
To the south of the Khutzmateen lies the Great Bear Rainforest and the Spirit Bear Protection Area. The Spirit Bear Protection Area was established in 2006 after a lengthy campaign lasting 19 years. It was the largest conservation effort led by the Valhalla Wilderness Society, which McCrory founded in 1975. Covering half a million acres along British Columbia’s mainland coast, this complex of conservancies safeguards the habitat of spirit bears—rare black bears with white fur. Outside this region, spirit bears are incredibly rare and their occurrence is only about one in a million.
Like black bears, spirit bears are omnivores with a diverse diet that changes with the seasons. During the annual salmon run, fish make up the bulk of their diet. The rest of the time they eat berries, roots, grasses, and insects though they may occasionally hunt small mammals or scavenge for food.
For local Indigenous Peoples, like the Tsimshian, spirit bears hold deep spiritual significance symbolizing the time when glaciers covered the Earth. Some also believe spirit bears have supernatural powers, contributing to the mysterious aura that surrounds them.
Much like the giant cedar, the bears of the Khutzmateen and the Great Bear Rainforest symbolize resilience in the face of time and natural adversity, but for all of their magnificent adaptations to their natural environments, without the unwavering commitment of dedicated individuals and communities advocating for their protection, these ecosystems would still be under existential threat. It is thanks to the tireless efforts of local communities and biologists like A. Dionys de Leeuw, Wayne McCrory, and Craig Pettitt, who risked their careers to alert the world to the dire threats faced by of these rich and biodiverse ecosystems, that the Khutzmateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary and the Great Bear Rainforest are now protected.
As I write this, the Rainbow-Jordan wilderness is still at risk. Today less than 12% of British Columbia's Inland Temperate Rainforest is protected yet Temperate Rainforests are critical to our fight against climate change. Each of the giant cedars of the Rainbow-Jordan has an outsized role to play in determining the future of our planet, the fate of each towering tree is a chapter in the story of our fight against climate change.
Conservation is not just the province of seasoned activists; it thrives in the hearts of young guardians who see potential where others may see despair. Inspired by the work of elders, young conservationists like Amber Peters emerge as voices for the wilderness. Together, they are building bridges between the wisdom of Indigenous traditions and contemporary advocacy, pushing for solutions to ensure that these last forests remain a sanctuary for all forms of life—a place where indigenous wisdom resonate alongside the hopeful calls of new conservation leaders. For this vision to manifest, it must be nurtured by courage, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to preserving our planet's most precious treasures for generations to come.
Bio
Ami Vitale’s career stands as a testament to her deep dedication to documenting and addressing global crises. As an acclaimed National Geographic photographer, writer, and documentary filmmaker, as well as the founder of Vital Impacts, Ami has consistently spotlighted critical issues affecting our world. Her journey began in conflict zones, where she observed firsthand how environmental degradation—from resource scarcity to climate change—intensifies human suffering and conflict. This early exposure shaped her understanding of the profound connections between human and environmental crises.
Vitale's work focuses on the stories of individuals living on the front lines of war, climate change, and extinction, who refuse to let cataclysm define their futures. Through her compelling journalism, she highlights stories of resilience and innovation, emphasizing the delicate balance between humanity and wildlife and the urgent need for conservation. Vitale’s work connects viewers to critical local conservation issues of global importance, underscoring our interconnectedness with one another and the natural world.
In addition to her journalism and filmmaking, Vitale is the founder and Executive Director of Vital Impacts, a non-profit organization that leverages the power of art to inspire and mobilize youth as agents of change. Vitale and her non-profit have raised over $5 million to support vital conservation projects.
Ami is an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a recipient of the prestigious Lucie Humanitarian Award, the Missouri Honor Media for Distinguished Service, and an inductee into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. She has also received the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting, been named Magazine Photographer of the Year at the International Photographer of the Year awards, and is a six-time recipient of World Press Photo awards.
InStyle magazine featured her alongside Jane Goodall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in its series "Fifty Badass Women," celebrating women who exemplify courage and action. Ami served as Conservation International's 2023/2024 Lui-Walton Innovators Fellow. A sought-after speaker, she continues to share her experiences and insights with audiences worldwide, and in 2025, she will be featured on the National Geographic Channel Explorer TV series.