HRH The Duke of Sussex to guest edit @NATGEO Instagram Account.
(LONDON/WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monday 30th September) HRH The Duke of Sussex has partnered with National Geographic to become Guest Editor of the National Geographic Instagram account on Monday 30th September, as people from all over the world are encouraged to “look up” and share the beauty of trees.
Working with Nat Geo Magazine Editor in Chief, Susan Goldberg, The Duke of Sussex will take controls of the Nat Geo Instagram account, which reaches over 122 million followers, to curate a new set of beautiful images of forest canopies, all taken by National Geographic photographers.
This partnership celebrates the beauty and significant environmental importance of conservation, as two more national parks are created as part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy campaign, during Prince Harry’s royal tour in Southern Africa.
Susan Goldberg said, “We are delighted to partner with The Duke of Sussex to raise awareness about the importance of preserving and restoring indigenous forests. It is now more important than ever to encourage the conservation of our natural world, and we hope this partnership will help shine a light on this key issue needed to maintain a healthy planet.”
The Duke’s love of trees has led him to become a key champion of Queen Elizabeth II’s unique forest conservation project: “The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy” which Her Majesty launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2015. Commonwealth countries were invited to submit forests and national parks or plant trees to preserve, in perpetuity, in The Queen’s name. Now, almost 50 countries are taking part and have dedicated indigenous forest for conservation or have committed to planting literally millions of new trees.
Today’s partnership also complements the National Geographic Society’s long history of celebrating and protecting trees and their habitats. In 1916, the Society gave a grant to the U.S. National Park Service to purchase a critical forest at the heart of Sequoia National Park, protecting it from logging and development in perpetuity. The Society continues to build upon this legacy by harnessing the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonders of our world.
Through its Life at the Extremes initiative, the Society is deepening our understanding of rainforests and they critical role they play in maintaining biodiversity and addressing climate change. Additionally, the Society’s Last Wild Places initiative is working with partners around the globe to help protect the places that sustain life on Earth. With a goal of helping to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030, the Society aims to conserve Earth’s last remaining areas of wilderness, including critical forest ecosystems.
Forests and trees are vital to our survival and their preservation has never been so important as we face the challenges of climate change. Each acre of rainforest pumps 76,000 tonnes of water per year; and trees help cool the atmosphere and capture and redistribute the sun’s energy. Protecting rainforests is a key priority if carbon emissions are to be halved by 2030 and global heating is to be kept below 1.5℃.
“Looking Up” celebrates the beauty of trees and the important role they play in the earth’s eco-system. It highlights the symbiotic relationship humans and wildlife have with the trees that are fundament to our survival.
As part of this new partnership, a wealth of relevant articles, galleries and videos have been curated for NationalGeographic.com, as we continue to educate readers about the beauty of our world and the importance of our place within it.
