Guardians of Life: Indigenous Conservation

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Kiliii Yuyan, United States
• Website
  http://www.kiliii.com
• Instagram
  @kiliiiyuyan

How are Indigenous peoples so often so good at conservation? Guardians of Life is a journey through Indigenous stewardship in action- the coral reefs of Palau, the steppes of Mongolia, rainforests of the Amazon, and the sea ice of Greenland. Each community shows us what is possible when Indigenous values, traditional ecological knowledge, and modern strategies combine to protect what is most sacred– land, the foundation of life itself.

Kiliii Yuyan is an indigenous Nanai/Hézhè & Chinese-American photographer and filmmaker. He has contributed award-winning features for National Geographic Magazine, TIME, NPR, and the BBC. On assignment, he has fled collapsing sea ice, weathered botulism from fermented whale blood, and found kinship at the edges of the world. Kiliii is also a National Geographic Expeditions Expert for the Arctic. He is based out of Seattle.

Awards * PDN’s 30 New and Emerging Photographers, 2019
* PCNW 22nd Juried Exhibition, 2019, First Place
* Best of ASMP, 2018, First Place, Series
* Eddie Adams XXXI, 2018
* PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2018, Bronze, Feature Story
* PDN World in Focus, 2017, 1st Place, Photo Essay
* PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2017, Gold, Press
* Critical Mass, 2017, Top 50
* PDN Photo Annual, 2017, Personal Work
* International Photography Awards, 2017, Silver, Deeper Perspective
* Communication Arts Annual, 2017, Multimedia
* Sienna International Photo Awards, 2017, HM, Editorial
* International Photographer of the Year, 2016, Silver, Editorial
* Sony World Photo Awards, 2016, Shortlist, Still Life
* PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, 2015, HM, Press
* International Photography Awards, 2015, HM, Feature Story, Portrait
* Communication Arts Annual, 2015, Stock
* International Photography Awards, 2013, HM, Conceptual, Portrait