HRH The Duke of Sussex and National Geographic have partnered to celebrate the beauty and importance of conservation. Working with Susan Goldberg, editorial director of National Geographic Partners and editor in chief of National Geographic magazine, today The Duke of Sussex will be Guest Editor of the @NatGeo Instagram account, which reaches more than 123 million followers. The account will feature a new set of beautiful images of forest canopies—all taken by National Geographic photographers—which encourage people across the globe to “look up” and share the beauty of trees.
“We are delighted to partner with The Duke of Sussex to raise awareness about the importance of preserving and restoring indigenous forests,” Susan Goldberg said. “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 of Sussex is a key champion of Queen Elizabeth II’s unique forest conservation project, “The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy,” which launched in 2015 and invited commonwealth countries to submit forests and national parks or plant trees to preserve, in perpetuity, in The Queen’s name. Nearly 50 countries are currently participating and have dedicated indigenous forest for conservation or have committed to planting literally millions of new trees.
“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. In addition to Instagram, readers are encouraged to visit NationalGeographic.com to discover many relevant articles, galleries and videos that showcase the beauty of our world and the importance of our place within it.
National Geographic is working toward a goal of helping to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030. The Society’s Life at the Extremes initiative, which is intended to deepen our understanding of rainforests and they critical role they play in maintaining biodiversity and addressing climate change; and its Last Wild Places initiative, which collaborates with partners around the globe to help protect the places that sustain life on Earth; are just two ways National Geographic aims to help conserve Earth’s last remaining areas of wilderness, including critical forest ecosystems.
Today’s partnership with The Duke of Sussex continues the National Geographic Society’s commitment to celebrate and protect trees and their habitats. This long history began more than a century ago in 1916, when the Society provided 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.
Photo by Ismail Ferdous for National Geographic.