At Koh Kwang Beach, our volunteers joined forces to tackle the daunting task of cleaning up our shores. Together, we collected over 260 kg of trash, demonstrating that when we unite in purpose, we can make a tangible difference. While most of the trash was unrecyclable, this sobering reality only fuels our determination to find innovative solutions and promote responsible consumption.

But our efforts extend far beyond the beach cleanup. Last month, we embarked on an exciting journey of coral restoration in the captivating Krabi region. We are super excited to report that we have already nurtured 334 corals in our growing coral nursery. The progress is inspiring, with six and a half of the eight planned legs completed. Each coral nurtured brings us closer to creating a thriving underwater ecosystem, one that will serve as a testament to our collective dedication.

What’s even more exciting is that our coral garden will be designed in the shape of our logo. This visual representation not only symbolizes our commitment to marine conservation but also acts as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all who witness it. It serves as a reminder that together, we can turn dreams into reality and create a sustainable future for our oceans.

While our achievements are undoubtedly worth celebrating, we invite you to join us in supporting our ongoing initiatives. Your generous contributions can help us continue organizing beach cleanup events, nurturing corals, and expanding our conservation efforts.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all our dedicated volunteers, supporters, and partners. Your unwavering dedication and passion fuel our progress, and we are honoured to have you as part of our SEVENSEAS Media family. Let us continue to work hand in hand, preserving our precious oceans and inspiring others to join our cause. However, we recognize that our journey requires continued support to make a lasting impact.

To all the kind souls who resonate with our mission, we humbly ask for your support. Your donations to SEVENSEAS Media will directly contribute to the success of our beach cleanup and coral restoration events. With your generosity, we can expand our reach, enhance our efforts, and create an even greater positive change for our oceans and marine life.

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“Greenwich is honored to welcome Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier, two of the most globally celebrated photographers of our generation, for this exhibition and event series,” says Fred Camillo, the Town of Greenwich’s First Selectman. 

“These artists/conservation champions have created some of the most iconic wildlife images of our modern-day culture. They are internationally acclaimed for harnessing the majestic beauty of their images to inspire change on our planet, via their 12 million followers worldwide. Greenwich is thrilled to host their new exhibition and Opening Reception events at C. Parker Gallery on the weekend of May 5,” adds Camillo.  

The exclusive Tri-State appearance by the Award-Winning
Photographers Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier:
New exhibition kicks off SeaLegacy.org’s next chapter
(special events in Greenwich the weekend of May 5 ‒ free & open to the public).

The exhibition Double Exposure: Two Photographers, One Mission at C. Parker Gallery features more than 30 large-scale photographs by Nicklen and Mittermeier (on view May 1 ‒ June 26). Presented in partnership with the Town of Greenwich Conservation Commission, the Greenwich Shellfish Commission, and the Greenwich Point Conservancy, this new exhibition features several works which have never been exhibited to the public at this size and scope and is curated by C. Parker Gallery’s proprietor, Tiffany Benincasa. The Gallery is located at 409 Greenwich Avenue. More details about the Opening Reception events featuring Nicklen and Mittermeier, will be updated at cparkergallery.com (space is limited, RSVP required to [email protected]). Learn more about the artists at sealegacy.org, paulnicklen.com and cristinamittermeier.com.  

“The C. Parker Gallery is thrilled to present the work of two of the most internationally acclaimed conservation photographers,” says Tiffany Benincasa, the Gallery’s curator and owner. “Their photographs are included in some of the world’s most important private collections, and have been featured as iconic images by major national media including National Geographic and TIME Magazine. This is an incredible opportunity to witness the beauty of nature in an intimate and personal way, to share their important message, and join their mission advocating for greater conservation and environmental awareness.”

Reflecting the Natural World in Extreme Conditions

Paul Nicklen is a photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist. His work is collected by film and music stars, and major celebrities, including:

Katie Couric, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Garner, Alec Baldwin, Prince Hussain Aga Kahn, and the International Photography Hall of Fame, among others. He forges a bond between subject and viewer through sensitivity and a singular eye for reflecting the natural world in extreme conditions. “I believe that art, especially photography, has the power to connect people to stories with such deep emotion, that their perspective of the world can change,” says Nicklen. “My work exists at the  intersection of art, science, and conservation as a way to showcase the beauty that exists in nature.”

Cristina Mittermeier is hailed as one of the most influential conservation photographers of our time, dedicating her entire life to protecting the world’s oceans. She has visited more than 100 countries, and founded The International League of Conservation Photographers. She coined the phrase conservation photography. “Images can help us understand the urgency to protect wild places that so many of us realize is of the utmost importance,” says Mittermeier. “My work is about building a greater awareness of the responsibility of what it means
to be human.”

Their nonprofit SeaLegacy.org, which Nicklen and Mittermeier co-founded in 2014,  has conducted over 45 global expeditions studying nearly 800 species, and has made an immeasurable impact on climate education worldwide. Both are sought-after speakers and presenters on stages from TED to National Geographic and in 2022, they each received Honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. 

More About the Artists:

Paul Nicklen has documented the beauty and plight of our planet for more than twenty years. His work is collected by Hollywood icons, rock stars and royalty. In 2019, he became the youngest person inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. He has said it is one thing to capture the natural world in a moment of grace and dignity, but that pales in comparison to an image that shines a brighter light on the environmental crisis and drives everyday people to action, even if only in some small way. His work has been singled out for creating a unique connection between image and viewer by featuring wild subjects in some of the most extreme conditions known on Earth. He is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and aligns with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative on collaborative efforts to preserve the natural world. Nicklen has won more than thirty of the field’s most prestigious awards, including the BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and the World Press Photo for Photojournalism. He has exhibited in galleries, museums and institutions around the world, including Hilton Asmus Contemporary (Chicago), Lyons Gallery (Australia), Galerie Gadcollection (Paris), Eisele Gallery (Cincinnati) and Fineart Oslo (Oslo).

Cristina Mittermeier was born in Mexico City in 1966. She graduated from the ITESM University in Mexico with a degree in Biochemical Engineering in Marine Sciences. She later attended the Fine Art Photography program at the Corcoran College for the Arts in Washington, D.C. She was named one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year in 2018. Her Photographs have been exhibited in galleries around the World, including Hilton Asmus (Chicago), the Saatchi Gallery (London), C. Parker Gallery (Greenwich), and Eisele Gallery (Cincinnati). She is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at the prestigious Gallerie d’Italia in Turino, Italy. Mittermeier’s many awards include the Smithsonian Conservation Photographer of the Year; the Humanity Content Creator Award from HIPA;

the Imaging Award for Photographers Who Give Back; the Seattle Aquarium’s Sylvia Earle Medal; Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Award, and was named one of the “100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action.” She is a World Photographic Academy member; was the first female photographer to reach one million followers on Instagram; is a Sony Artisan of Imagery; and aligns with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative on collaborative efforts to preserve the natural world. 

C. Parker Gallery is a full-service art gallery and consultancy celebrating its tenth-year anniversary in Greenwich, Connecticut. Representing an extensive collection of works by traditional and contemporary artists, the Gallery is a recipient of the Best of Greenwich and Best of the Gold Coast awards. 

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The largest programme in history to discover life in our ocean has been unveiled (April 27 2023) with the ambitious target of finding at least 100,000 new marine species in the first decade. 

Knowledge gathered will revolutionise our understanding of life on Earth and how to protect the ocean – the environment responsible for much of the air we breathe, regulating our climate, and a vital food source for billions.

Scientists believe little more than 10% of what lives in our seas has been found and there are around two million species still undiscovered. The endeavour, known as Ocean Census, builds on major programmes of the past including The Challenger Expeditions (1872-1876, the birth of modern marine science) and The Census of Marine Life (2000-2010).

Ocean Census is a global collaborative initiative, an open network of science, business, media and civil society organisations joining forces. It has been founded by The Nippon Foundation, the largest non-profit foundation in Japan that focuses on philanthropy through social innovationand Nekton, a UK-based marine science and conservation institute. The project’s headquarters is in Oxford, UK.

“Ocean life makes all life on Earth possible and holds the wisdom of four billion years of our evolution on Earth. We can’t protect what we don’t know exists”, explained Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation. “We have a race against time to discover ocean life before it is lost for generations to come. Ocean Census will create an immense wealth of openly accessible knowledge that will benefit and sustain all life on Earth, for humankind and our planet. Ocean Census is full of dreams and wonder, and cannot be accomplished by the Nippon Foundation and Nekton alone. We would like to unravel the mysteries of the ocean, in collaboration with ocean research institutes, businesses, governments, the public, philanthropy and civil society”, continued Sasakawa.

For the past 200 years, the work of finding and scientifically describing species (taxonomy) has been a slow, methodical process – the average rate of new species discovery hasn’t changed much since the 1800s. It stands at around 2,000 a year. Traditional taxonomy is unable to meet the challenges of the climate and biodiversity crises that scientists expect will result in the loss of the majority of species on Earth.

“Revolutions in technologies such as digital imaging, sequencing and machine learning, now make it possible to discover ocean life at speed and at scale”, said Professor Alex Rogers, Ocean Census Science Director, “It currently takes one to two years to several decades to describe a new species after it is collected by scientists but utilising new technologies and sharing the knowledge gained using cloud-based approaches, it will now only take a few months”, continued Rogers. 

Over the coming years, scientists from around the world will embark on dozens of expeditions to the ocean’s biodiversity hotspots to find new life from the surface to full ocean depth. Combining vessels from the philanthropic, government and commercial fleets, they will be deploying a combination of advanced subsea technologies with divers, submarines and deep-sea robots.

“The beauty and diversity of marine life in the Ocean is still beyond human comprehension, but as we explore and uncover what lies beneath the sea surface, we are constantly awed and delighted by new lifeforms”, shared Dr Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director of Schmidt Ocean Institute, one of the leading partners of Ocean Census. “Schmidt Ocean Institute is proud to be partnering with Ocean Census to accelerate our understanding of the incredible creatures that inhabit our marine world”, continued Virmani.

Species discovered on expeditions will be sent for high resolution imaging and DNA sequencing in a network of Ocean Census Biodiversity Centres to be established in high, middle, and low-income nations around the world. Networks of taxonomists will connect virtually to draw on what Professor Rogers and his scientific team calls ‘Digital Life Forms’ to complete species descriptions. 

The aggregated, open-sourced data will be added to a network of data centres globally and made freely accessible to scientists, decision makers, and the public.

 “This new foundation of knowledge can help advance our understanding of fundamental science – oxygen production, carbon cycling, sustainable food production, the evolution of life on Earth and even discoveries of new medicine and biotechnologies”, revealed Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of The Nippon Foundation. “Through advancing our understanding of the abundance, diversity and distribution of life in our ocean, we hope Ocean Census will catalyse global efforts to conserve our ocean”, concluded Unno.  

“We have a short window of opportunity, perhaps the next ten years, when the decisions we all make will likely affect the next thousand or even ten thousand years”, explained Oliver Steeds, Ocean Census Director, Chief Executive of Nekton. “Some people are saying ‘it’s time to go big or go home’. We’ve chosen to go big, and we hope the giant leaps in knowledge we can make with the discovery of ocean life, can help put us on a better track towards a positive future for people and the planet”, concluded Steeds.

Ocean Census is particularly timely. The 2022 Montreal Biodiversity Conference made the decision to protect 30% of our planet for conservation of life by 2030. Implementation of this ambitious policy in the ocean will need the information provided by Ocean Census to ensure that protected areas are optimally positioned to protect biodiversity. The UN Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty agreed in March 2023 means that there is now a legal framework to establish such protected areas in the high seas. Lack of progress on prevention of global warming detailed in the IPCC 2023 Climate Report emphasises the urgency of action to understand the ocean and its potential responses to climate change as well as potential to mitigate emissions and adaptation through nature-based solutions. 

The Nippon Foundation: The Nippon Foundation, the largest non-profit foundation in Japan that was established in 1962 for the purpose of carrying out philanthropic activities in areas that extend from eradicating leprosy, providing free education, food security, and above all, issues that surround the marine environment and maritime safety. https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp

Nekton: Nekton works to accelerate the scientific exploration and conservation of the ocean for people and the planet. Nekton is an independent, not-for-profit research institute and is a UK registered charity. www.nektonmission.org

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