Great Bear RAVE Profile: Ian McAllister

Between now and September 14, the iLCP, a group of internationally renowned photographers, is taking part in a RAVE (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition) in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. Home to white spirit bears, ancient forests, and stunning marine biodiversity, it is one of the planet's most priceless treasures, but overseas oil interests wanting access to western Canada's tar sands, the second largest known oil reserves in the world, have put the region in threat, prompting the action of conservation groups and the iLCP. Throughout the expedition we'll be bringing you profiles, stories, statistics and photos to learn more about the region and why it's so crucial that we all work to protect it. Please follow along here on the iLCP blog, on Facebook and Twitter.

***

Photo courtesy Ian McAllister, Pacific Wild and iLCP

Ian McAllister is a founding director of the Canadian based wildlife conservation group Pacific Wild. His photography and film work focuses on the carnivores of the Pacific coast. In 2010, he was awarded the NANPA Vision award and was also named among Time Magazine's "Leaders of the 21st Century" for his environmental conservation work.

He has published four large format books on wildlife and lives on an island with his wife Karen and two children in the Great Bear Rainforest. We caught up with Ian and asked him a few questions on his work to protect the the Great Bear Rainforest...

Why is it important to save the Great Bear Rainforest? What’s at stake?

The Great Bear is in North America's backyard, yet it contains most of the
world's remaining intact temperate rainforest, it is home to indigenous First
Nations people who still live in their traditional territories and who are
supported from the ecologically rich marine and terrestrial environments.
It is the kind of place that you can watch grizzly bears, humpback whales,
spirit bears, wolves and so much else all in a single day.

Why do you personally care about the Great Bear Rainforest? And have you ever been before?

I live here with my family and I still can't imagine a better place on the
planet to call home — or a more fascinating and challenging place to
photograph.

What is your assignment on the GBR RAVE?

I am going to attempt as much underwater photography as possible, while keeping an eye on some of my favourite streams to photograph wolves and bears...

What do you think the power behind a RAVE is?

A RAVE teams creative people from diverse backgrounds who will bring different talents here while also seeing the coast from myriad perspectives.

Why is conservation photography such an essential element to the conservation movement as a whole, and this project in particular?

Few people have the opportunity to visit a place as remote as the Great
Bear. This is why images really can be part of the solution in protecting an
endangered landscape. The right image can inspire and motivate people to
action and that is a big part of the work cut out for us in the coming
weeks.

How do you tell a story via your photos?

I write books, present them personally to the public, publish them in magazines and other media. They form a core part of the conservation group I work for: Pacific Wild.

What is the ultimate desired outcome?

The Federal government in Canada announces that they are halting the Enbridge Northern Gateway project and they are legislating an oil tanker ban on the BC north coast.

Take action to protect the Great Bear Rainforest!