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Bear witness to the destruction and record the protest

BRITISH COLUMBIA is experiencing an extraordinary rate of forest loss, on a per capita basis, perhaps unequalled anywhere else on Earth. Many of us know this intuitively, even without careful examination of what satellite imagery shows conclusively. But most people here don’t know what’s happening just beyond the fringe of forest that has been left beside BC highways to meet “visual quality objectives.” If British Columbians truly understood what is occurring, they would surely be in a state of grief about the enormous level of loss and degradation that’s occurring.

Traditional journalism, including photojournalism, is largely failing to record the immense level of destruction. If it weren’t for the act of witnessing by photojournalist TJ Watt, we likely would have little record of the loss of old-growth forests on Vancouver Island. Watt’s photographs have helped to galvanize the movement to protect the remaining old forests.

What BC needs now is a more widespread witnessing of the degradation of nature caused by clearcut logging. Only by taking the personal action of seeing and recording what is occurring can we share what is happening with the wider, currently under-informed public. Only by consciously committing to bearing witness can we start to become part of a collective response to the immense damage being done.

Anyone can take this action. Record what you see in whatever medium you find most natural—photographs, videography, audio recordings, painting, writing. Then send it to us. We will add it to the archive below and distribute it as widely as we can.

First arrests at Fairy Creek blockades

Photographer Dawna Mueller witnessed the first arrests at Fairy Creek in May 2021. The blockades went on to become Canada’s largest-ever act of civil disobedience with over 1000 people arrested.

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