Can photographs save the Caribou people?

by Jaymi Heimbuch

 The Gwich’in community of Arctic Village lies just outside the refuge. The people depend on the caribou that pass by the village during the spring and fall migrations. They have been leading the fight to protect the caribou calving grounds. (Photo: Peter Mather) 

Conservation photographer Peter Mather is no stranger to the tough conditions of the north. Based in the Yukon, Mather's adventures give him opportunities to witness first-hand both the hardiness and the fragility of North America's snow-covered wilderness. It takes fortitude to withstand not only extreme weather conditions but also the twisting winds of politics.

One of Mather's primary photography projects, Caribou People, is a story about the Gwich'in aboriginal people of Alaska and Canada who depend on the Porcupine Caribou Herd for their subsistence lifestyle and culture. Mather notes, "The fight over the caribou calving grounds of Alaska's oil rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is more than a case of wildlife and wilderness conservation. To the Gwich'in this is also a human rights issue, as a threat to the caribou is a threat to their culture and subsistence lifestyle."...https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/Can-photographs-save-the-caribou-people