News 
Paul Nicklen
For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers pushing back the boundaries of human endeavour. The company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet, committing for the long term to support individuals and organisations using science to understand and devise solutions to today’s environmental challenges.
This engagement was reinforced with the launch of the Perpetual Planet Initiative in 2019, which initially focused on individuals who contribute to a better world through the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, on safeguarding the oceans as part of an established association with Mission Blue, as well as on understanding climate change via its longstanding partnership with the National Geographic Society.
An expanding portfolio of other partnerships embraced by the Perpetual Planet Initiative now includes Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen in their work as conservation photographers.
Growing up in the small, landlocked Mexican town of Cuernavaca, Cristina Mittermeier was enthralled by the ocean when her dad first took her to the coast. Going on to study marine science, Mittermeier soon realised the critical challenges faced by the planet’s oceans. To draw attention to the urgent changes needed, she moved into visual storytelling and became an influential leading figure in the field of conservation photography. Across her multi-award-winning career, she has documented many of the untold wonders of the oceans. She founded the International League of Conservation photographers to provide a platform for those working on environmental issues, and was named one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year.
Paul Nicklen is an acclaimed wildlife photographer, author, and filmmaker. His passion and respect for nature was cultivated during his childhood amongst the Arctic Inuit community on Baffin Island, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. This early experience gave Nicklen a rare understanding of some of today’s most threatened ecosystems and how it is possible to live in harmony with the oceans. Like Mittermeier, Nicklen began his career scientifically studying marine life before becoming a photographer and has since spent his time documenting the breath-taking beauty of some of the Earth’s most extreme environments. His work is celebrated for illuminating the link between biodiversity loss and climate change, as well as depicting how our precious ecosystems are being pushed to the brink of destruction.
Together with photographer and filmmaker Andy Mann, Mittermeier and Nicklen founded SeaLegacy, a non-profit organisation that uses photography and other visual media to raise awareness of the threats the ocean faces, but also of the tireless work being done to protect it. By partnering with Mittermeier and Nicklen, the Perpetual Planet Initiative is continuing its commitment to support inspiring individuals who lead by example in the fight to save our seas.
December 14, 2023