Projects to protect our Planet

Partnership series

Call to Earth
by
The Pioneers
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Together to preserve the planet
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Perpetual planet stories
by
On a Mission of Hope
by
Oceano de Esperança
by
The Pioneers who shape the future
by
Climate Solutions
by
Einzigartiger Planet
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Listening to the Earth
Since designing an underwater system to prevent ships from colliding with whales, bioacoustics pioneer Michel André has expanded his project to create a network of microphones that monitor the planet's myriad sounds and warn of threats to nature.
Watching over the Earth’s Blue Heart
Rolex has joined forces with Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue initiative to watch over and safeguard the Earth’s oceans. Since 2009, Mission Blue has been creating a network of Hope Spots around the planet, flourishing icons of marine life in the immensity of the Earth’s Blue Heart.
A vanishing forest reborn
Working with dedicated farming families, Laury Cullen Jr. is restoring Brazil’s Atlantic Forest while contributing to the local economy and helping to fight climate change.
Exploring submarine forests in Patagonia’s fjords
Discovering new species, never described to science, is just one aspect of the case the intrepid marine biologist Vreni Häussermann puts for the protection of the wild waters of the Patagonian fjords.
Stars of the deep
Little was known about the endangered whale shark, the world’s biggest fish, until Australian marine scientist Brad Norman found a way to identify individual animals using an algorithm developed by NASA.
Darkening hues of Greenland
A strange new life is blossoming within the icy carapace of Greenland, daubing thousands of square kilometres of pristine white landscape in an eerie patina of greens, reds, browns, purple and black.
Mt Everest sensors give new insights into climate change
In May 2019, as part of its Perpetual Planet partnership with Rolex, National Geographic succeeded in leading an expedition to install the world’s highest weather station on Mt Everest.
The 2019 Rolex National Geographic Explorers of the Year - The Okavango Wilderness Project Team
The Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year award recognizes explorers whose commitment to a perpetual planet is shining a critical light on important issues, discoveries, and challenges facing our planet.
Perpetual Planet
Preserving the natural world
Rolex and National Geographic - Perpetual Planet
Rolex and National Geographic, partners in discovering and protecting our world
Inspired individuals changing the world - Rolex Awards
For more than 40 years, the Awards have selected individuals of exceptional courage, skill and determination to help in the perpetual quest to explore, understand, guard and cherish the Earth we inhabit and all it holds.
An ocean of hope
Marine biologist Sylvia Earle, a Rolex Testimonee since 1982, has been a pioneer of ocean exploration for more than four decades. Her mission has always been to explore, study and protect the planet's oceans. Now, with her initiative Mission Blue, she is igniting public support to safeguard marine Hope Spots.
Journey to the bottom of the sea
On 26 March 2012, film-maker and explorer James Cameron made a record-breaking solo dive 10,908 metres (35,787 feet) below the surface of the Pacific Ocean in the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible vessel to reach the world’s deepest frontier.
Unlocking an ocean of mystery - Environment
Comparatively little is known about the vast oceans that cloak the Earth, but through a partnership with Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society®, Rolex is encouraging young people to explore the seas. This forms part of our Perpetual Planet engagement with organizations working to protect the environment for future generations.
Under the melting ice
A century after the conquest of the North Pole, team Deepsea Under The Pole took on a new dimension – depth. Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex was a pioneering expedition undertaken in 2010 to learn more about the submerged side of the Arctic. During a combination of ski trekking and scuba diving in one of the toughest climates on the planet, the eight expedition members successfully conducted scientific experiments.
A long-standing commitment
The history of Rolex and exploration is one linked to some of the greatest adventures of the past century. Oyster watches have been to the top of the world and the deepest part of the ocean. For generations, pioneering explorers have attested to their reliability in the toughest of conditions.
Master photographer on a mission to help us see the sea - Environment
Without photography, the world beneath the ocean’s surface would remain an unseen mystery for most of us.
Ocean noise rings alarm bells - Rolex Awards
The rising tumult in the oceans caused by human activity is causing devastating damage to sea life, according to evidence gathered by bioacoustician scientist Michel André.
Listening to the Earth - Video
Scientist Michel André’s concern for marine life led to the development of an underwater network of microphones. Discover the video on rolex.org.
Recreating the emerald green forest - Rolex Awards
The long, slow retreat of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has been reversed thanks to Laury Cullen Jr. who is protecting its unique wildlife and engaging local farmers in conservation.
Stars of the sea - Rolex Awards
To help protect the charismatic whale shark, the world’s biggest fish, Brad Norman created an identification system based on its celestial markings.
A vanishing forest reborn - Video
Working with dedicated farming families, Laury Cullen Jr. is restoring Brazil’s Atlantic Forest while contributing to the local economy and helping to fight climate change.
Race to save the seahorse
Preserving the world’s natural heritage for future generations is part of what drives Amanda Vincent in her quest for the conservation of marine fish – and seahorses in particular.
The Pioneers who shape the future - SKAI
The common goal of ROLEX and SKAI (a major Greek TV channel), to contribute and improve humanity and the planet, led to SKAI's series of exclusive documentaries, produced in partnership with ROLEX.
The pioneers - Monocle
The Pioneers is a brand new series that tells the stories of people improving the planet.
On a mission of hope - Australian Geographic
Trailblazing US oceanographer Sylvia Earle offers a message of encouragement for our besieged Great Barrier Reef.
Patagonia’s wild depths
Chilean Patagonia is a windswept maze of fjords, channels and islands. German and Chilean biologist and marine explorer Vreni Häussermann has dedicated her life to exploring and protecting this biodiversity hotspot.
Exploring submarine forests in Patagonia’s fjords - Video
Discovering new species, never described to science, is just one aspect of the case the intrepid marine biologist Vreni Häussermann puts for the protection of the wild waters of the Patagonian fjords.
Inside the labyrinth
Exploring subterranean caves in South America’s table-top mountains where no human has ever set foot, Italian geologist Francesco Sauro is not only finding clues to evolution on Earth – he is helping to prepare for expeditions to other planets.
Reef rescue with the toughest corals
Marine biologist Emma Camp is out to find the world’s toughest corals. Discover how she plans to rescue reefs in the face of climate change and human activity.
Darkening hues of Greenland - Video
For British glacial microbiologist Joseph Cook, the blooming of a rainforest of microscopic life in the rapidly warming Arctic holds not only mystery and beauty – but also menace. The colours reflect both the unanticipated changes wrought by human activity on the planet and the hazards of accelerating sea level rise, drowning the world’s coastal cities.
Stars of the deep - Video
Little was known about the endangered whale shark, the world’s biggest fish, until Australian marine scientist Brad Norman found a way to identify and monitor individual animals drawing on an algorithm developed by NASA scientists.
Eyes in the ocean
Stanford professor Barbara Block is tagging top marine predators, revealing the mysteries of their lives and their prospects for survival.
Gentle giant of the ocean
Kerstin Forsberg is protecting threatened giant manta rays by working with local communities to promote awareness and appreciation of these gentle giants and to assist fishermen find alternative income through ecotourism.
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Explore the ocean in 24 hours - Environment
Explore the ocean in 24 hours
Explorer of the Year - Environment
Renowned photojournalist Brian Skerry has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater over the course of his 30-year career. Growing up in Massachusetts, he was drawn to the ocean and all its mystery, never imagining that one day he would land his dream job and that it would be underwater. With discipline and hard work, he became a contributing photographer for National Geographic in 1998 and through his stories shed light on both the beauty and the fragility of the ocean and its inhabitants.
Mosaic of underground beauty - Rolex Awards
A man for whom adventure is part of life, Italian caver Antonio De Vivo has for years been exploring Mexico’s isolated Rio La Venta Canyon, making startling discoveries about pre-Columbian civilization.
Reef rescue with the toughest corals - Video
Reef rescue with the toughest corals
The frozen rainforest
Glacial microbiologist Joseph Cook says the top few metres of the Arctic’s ice are like a “frozen rainforest”. His research is a journey of discovery that reveals how ice micro-organisms on the Greenland ice sheet shape our world.
Trieste: The deepest dive
In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh piloted the <em>Trieste</em> on its plunge to the deepest point on Earth – a 10,916 metres (35,800-foot) depression called the challenger deep.
Meet two generations of leading ocean protectors - Environment
Sylvia Earle and Jessica Cramp share what inspires them and how everyone can help make a cleaner, bluer world.
Joining forces for the future - Environment
For many years Rolex has supported individuals and organizations whose aims have been to explore the Earth, find innovative solutions for positive change and raise awareness of critical environmental issues.
Explore remote volcanoes affecting Earth’s climate
Yves Moussallam is studying the unknown effect of volcanic gases on climate change. Discover how he is mixing tradition and technology to explore remote volcanoes.
The “ice stupas” that could water the Himalaya - Environment
Artificial glaciers are being used to grow crops in the harsh desert.
An Amazonian legacy - Rolex Awards
The late José Márcio Ayres devoted his life to the challenge of combining protection of the Amazon forests with improving the living conditions of its indigenous people.
Conservation begins in the classroom - Rolex Awards
Suryo Prawiroatmodjo’s tireless efforts to make environmental education the cornerstone of conservation efforts took root at home and quickly spread throughout Indonesia and beyond.
A passion for the Arctic
Explorer Lonnie Dupre has raised awareness of the fragility of the world’s frozen places and drawn attention to the effects of global warming.
Epic journeys
One of South America’s greatest explorers, Cristian Donoso has led expeditions to the wilds of Patagonia and other inhospitable places, not purely for adventure but to gather invaluable knowledge about climate and history.
Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex (Extended) - Video
Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex is a pioneering expedition and innovative human adventure that combines ski trekking and scuba diving in one of the toughest climates on the planet. Throughout the journey, the eight expedition members collected audio recordings, photographs and video material of the hidden side of the polar ice cap, in addition to successfully conducting two scientific experiments related to snow measurements and human body reactions.
The Okavango Wilderness Project Team - Perpetual Planet - Video
From National Geographic Documentary Films, Into the Okavango chronicles the extraordinary expedition across three countries to the Okavango Delta.
Perpetual Planet: Living Laboratory - Video
Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf used the world as a testing ground for his watches, supporting explorers who ventured into the unknown. Rolex continues his legacy but with a new mission
A passion for the Arctic - Video
For Arctic explorer and 2004 Rolex Laureate, Lonnie Dupre, global warming is not just a theory – it is a visible and immediate threat to the region that he loves passionately. In May 2005, he set out with co-explorer and friend Eric Larsen on an ambitious expedition to heighten global awareness of this menace.
The isle is full of wonder - Video
In 2000, the world-renowned French speleologist Jean-François Pernette led a multidisciplinary expedition to Chile’s Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) province — where he made some unexpected and breathtaking discoveries.
The frozen rainforest - Video
Glacial microbiologist Joseph Cook likens the surface of Greenland’s ice sheet to a “frozen rainforest”. The top few metres of ice are a biological realm whose dimensions, role and impacts are still a scientific mystery. Cook’s Ice Alive mission aims to reveal how this ecosystem helps drive changes in the Earth’s climate, nutrient and carbon cycles, which in turn affect humanity.
Explore remote volcanoes affecting earth’s climate - Video
Explore remote volcanoes affecting earth’s climate
A giant task - Video
The Canadian-American palaeontologist, Elizabeth Nicholls, overcame numerous obstacles to extract the fossilised remains of a 220-million-year-old, giant marine reptile in a remote region of Canada.
After the Ice Maiden - Video
Johan Reinhard’s 1995 discovery of the 500-year-old Inca “Ice Maiden” could easily have been the apex of his life. One of the best-preserved bodies from pre-Columbian times thrilled millions worldwide, unleashing a wealth of knowledge. Yet the high-altitude cultural anthropologist and archaeologist was not satisfied with this achievement. He was convinced that better-preserved mummies were yet to be found on remote Andean mountain-tops.
Patagonia’s wild depths - Video
Vreni Häusserman is a German biologist who is exploring the unique marine life of the Patagonian fjords in the south of Chile. These extraordinary and delicate underwater environments are suffering from the effects of intensive fish farming and global warming. Vreni is planning ever-deeper dives to study, understand and preserve this unique biodiversity before it is too late.
Inside the labyrinth - Video
South America’s table-top mountains conceal caves never visited by humans. Italian scientist and explorer Francesco Sauro is taking on the daunting challenge of exploring these caves in a quest for clues to the evolution of life and the planet.
Riding high in the rainforest - Video
Biologist-turned-entrepreneur Donald Perry has made it possible for tourists, students and scientists alike to explore the wonderland that flourishes on the equivalent of the "15th floor" of the tropical rainforest.
Ice towers in the desert - Video
Sonam Wangchuk lives and works in the Ladakh region of India, high in the Himalayas. This harsh mountain area is experiencing acute water shortages due to climate change. Sonam, who is an engineer and educator, found a simple but ingenious way to store water using artificial glaciers that will irrigate trees and crops.
Race to rescue the Siberian tiger - Video
For the past 17 years, Sergei Bereznuk, a staunch Russian conservationist and ecologist, has been working valiantly to save the Amur tiger. Based on his experience since 1995 with a tiger anti-poaching brigade in the Russian Far East province Primorsky Krai, Bereznuk is convinced that saving the Amur tiger depends on both the efficiency of anti-poaching measures and the education of the local people.
Conservation begins in the classroom - Video
Conservationist Suryo Prawiroatmodjo has long believed that in order to protect our natural environment, people’s attitudes towards it must be radically changed. He has brought about profound changes to attitudes in and beyond his native Indonesia.
Mosaic of underground beauty - Video
Through a series of expeditions to study the speleological, hydrological and archaeological aspects of the Rio La Venta Canyon, Antonio De Vivo and a multidisciplinary team of cavers and researchers have begun to unravel the secrets buried in this isolated region and gather proof that the canyon was an important route of communication and commerce for a highly developed pre-Columbian civilization.
Saving the world’s threatened penguins - Video
Saving the world’s threatened penguins
Great mother of the hornbills - Video
After rediscovering a species of hornbill thought to be extinct in Thailand’s ravaged rainforests, microbiologist Pilai Poonswad set about turning former poachers and illegal loggers into protectors of these glorious birds and their precarious habitat.
Holding back the Sahara - Video
Lower rainfall and severe droughts are threatening to turn three-quarters of Tunisia’s agricultural lands into desert. Sarah Toumi is holding back the Sahara by planting Acacia trees, which revitalize the land, preventing further erosion and salinization. She is also working to reduce rural poverty by introducing sustainable farming practices, encouraging farmers to plant crops more suited to the changing climate than olives and almonds.
Upcycling reshapes lives - Video
In 2007, Reese Fernandez cofounded Rags2Riches, a social enterprise company that revolutionized the women’s business practices by arranging for them to sell their products direct to retailers.
Saving Rwanda’s bird of fortune - Video
Rwanda’s iconic grey crowned-crane is disappearing because of poaching and loss of habitat. Olivier Nsengimana is liberating cranes from gardens, while inspiring a new generation of conservationists to value his country’s extraordinary wildlife.Discover more about Rolex Awards Young Laureate Olivier Nsengimana
Gentle giant of the ocean - Video
Kerstin Forsberg is a biologist from Peru, who is working to save one of the most majestic creatures in the sea – the giant manta ray. These unique fish, which are caught for their gills and meat, are at high risk of extinction. She is working to give local fisherman new livelihoods and to raise awareness of all vulnerable marine species.
An Amazonian legacy - Video
Brazilian environmentalist José Márcio Ayres, who died in March 2003, devoted his life to the challenge of combining protection of the Amazon forest with improving the living conditions of its native people.
Preserving Paraguay’s forgotten corner - Video
Scottish biologist Karina Atkinson is fostering research and responsible tourism to save a Paraguayan reserve.
Barometers for Africa’s health - Video
Lindy Rodwell has devoted the past 11 years to preserving the cranes of Africa, whose magical presence is woven into her childhood memories and the cultural fabric of her native South Africa.
Protect a giant fish for the Amazon - Video
The largest scaled freshwater fish in the world – the giant arapaima – is bound for extinction. But in a close partnership with local associations and fishing leaders, fisheries ecologist João Campos-Silva has a plan to save not only the arapaima but with it, the livelihoods, food supply and culture of the indigenous communities who depend on the Amazon’s rivers for survival.
Reduce wildlife-human conflict in India - Video
Reduce wildlife-human conflict in India
Repairing the past - Video
The last griffon vulture disappeared from the Cévennes in the south of France 60 years ago. Its cousin, the European black vulture, had deserted France a century earlier. Keen to undo the past, 1984 Rolex Award Laureate Michel Terrasse has been working for 35 years to return these magnificent birds of prey to their natural habitat.
Stars of the sea - Video
Impelled by a love of the sea and its largest fish, the elusive whale shark, marine conservationist Brad Norman has created a photo-identification system to assist its conservation.
The life-saving mangroves of Manzanar - Video
Driven by a long-standing desire for justice, American biologist Gordon Sato is spending his retirement helping some of the world’s poorest people, in Eritrea, to help themselves. His innovative Manzanar project harnesses two of the Eritrean coast’s most abundant resources — intense sunlight and seawater — to grow mangrove plants that can be used not only to feed animals, but also to provide a habitat for fish and shellfish.
Wild horses and nomads - Video
Claudia Feh, who has spent more than 30 years observing free-living horses, has established herself as world expert on their behaviour. For the past decade Claudia, originally from Switzerland, has been raising the world’s only natural herd of Przewalski horses, in France.
Agents of change - Video
American Christine Keung is using her college education as a force for good by tackling rural pollution in northwest China, where her father was sent during the Cultural Revolution. Her ambition is to help authorities find long-term solutions to hazardous waste, and women – who bear the disproportionate cost of environmental degradation as men migrate to cities for work – are the key to her project.
Clean vision for India - Video
Arun Krishnamurthy is determined to restore India’s neglected urban lakes, rallying communities to help him remove rubbish and recreate wildlife habitats.
Nature and nurture - Video
South African conservationist Andrew Muir is harnessing the healing powers of nature to help young people orphaned by HIV/AIDS become independent citizens. Andrew’s Umzi Wethu programme provides vulnerable but motivated youths with vocational training and jobs in the burgeoning ecotourism industry, while immersing them in their country’s rich natural heritage.
Saving a forest to protect a bird - Video
On 1 June 2002, 3,000 people paraded through the Brazilian village of Quebrangulo and then set about planting tree saplings. For Anita Studer, from Switzerland, the event was the culmination of 13 years of work, for one of the trees planted on 1 June was the millionth sapling in her plan to reforest the region.
Guardian of South America’s Gran Chaco - Video
rika Cuéllar is training local people in Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina as parabiologists with the aim of protecting the extraordinary biodiversity of one of South America’s last truly wild environments, the Gran Chaco.
Race to save the seahorse - Video
Canadian Amanda Vincent is the world’s principal authority on one of the ocean’s most enchanting inhabitants — the seahorse. From her initial fascination with this exotic animal and its highly unusual breeding cycle, Amanda has become a key figure in global action to save the wider marine environment.
Getting to the core - Rolex Awards
French glaciologist Bernard Francou extracted an ice core from deep inside an Andean glacier to provide an archive of climatic change over thousands of years.
Ancient art of communication - Rolex Awards
French explorer Luc-Henri Fage discovered prehistoric cave paintings in Kalimantan nearly 30 years ago and campaigned to save these artistic treasures.
Climbing for the environment - Rolex Awards
One of Japan’s most daring alpinists, Dr Jun’ichi Shinozaki researched the effects of global warming and pollution while climbing some of the world’s most famous peaks.
The isle is full of wonder - Rolex Awards
Jean-Francois Pernette has spent most of his life exploring caves. In 2000, he led a mission to the remote limestone islands of Última Esperanza, Patagonia, where he made breathtaking discoveries.
Studying caves to predict earthquakes - Rolex Awards
By studying caves for traces of ancient seismic activity, French geologist Eric Gilli developed a new method to predict earthquakes.
After the Ice Maiden - Rolex Awards
Johan Reinhard’s discovery of the 500 year-old Inca Ice Maiden could have been his life’s high point, but he was not satisfied with this achievement. He was convinced that better preserved mummies were yet to be found, and he was determined to rescue the cultural patrimony of the Andean people.
Riding high in the rainforest - Rolex Awards
Biologist turned entrepreneur Donald Perry has made it possible for tourists, students and scientists alike to explore the biological wonderland that thrives at the top of the rainforest, a realm he calls the “Arboreal Continent”.
A giant task - Rolex Awards
Palaeontologist Elizabeth Nicholls overcame numerous obstacles to extract the fossilized remains of a 220 million year-old, giant marine reptile in a remote region of Canada.
Embracing the lessons of the past - Rolex Awards
Rejecting the modern farming techniques he had studied at university, Zenón Porfidio Gomel Apaza turned to ancient agricultural traditions to transform the Andean communities of his homeland.
Shooting wildlife with a camera - Rolex Awards
With India’s wilderness suffering in the face of explosive economic growth, Shekar Dattatri continues to focus his attention on the urgent need to conserve his country’s remaining natural heritage. His subjects range from the tiger to disappearing coastlines.
Ice towers in the desert - Rolex Awards
Sonam Wangchuk is helping farmers in the arid Himalayan highlands of Ladakh to overcome water shortages by tapping meltwaters to build artificial glaciers.
Africa’s turtle saviour - Rolex Awards
A visionary naturalist, Tomas Diagne observed that the African spurred tortoise, which can live for more than 150 years, was becoming rare and decided to save it.
In search of the first Americans - Rolex Awards
Arturo González’s expeditions through the flooded labyrinths far beneath the jungle covering Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula are shedding light on the origins of the Americas and challenging traditional theories about its earliest inhabitants.
Race to rescue the Siberian tiger - Rolex Awards
The Siberian tiger, the world’s biggest cat, once roamed Asia’s forests in the thousands. Sergei Bereznuk is battling poachers and habitat destruction to save this endangered animal from extinction.
Two million trees - Rolex Awards
The vision of award-winning botanist Sebastian Chuwa rallied the people of northern Tanzania to create a sustainable future through a massive reforestation project.
Mexico’s bat man - Rolex Awards
Rodrigo Medellín, a Mexican conservationist is battling many kinds of threats to bats, but the greatest threat he is determined to overcome is ignorance.
Living with leopards - Rolex Awards
Shafqat Hussain has offered farmers in the remote reaches of northern Pakistan an alternative to killing the snow leopards preying on their herds, proving humans and big cats can coexist.
Holding back the Sahara - Rolex Awards
Sarah Toumi has returned to Tunisia, her father’s homeland, and is determined to restore the land, which is suffering from desertification, and reduce poverty by introducing sustainable farming practices.
India’s unconventional conservationist - Rolex Awards
Passionate about the natural world, Romulus Whitaker has gone from conserving reptiles to saving India’s rainforests through a network of research stations.
Thailand’s shy sea cows - Rolex Awards
To prevent dugongs disappearing from Thailand’s coastal waters, biologist Pisit Charnsnoh has engaged local people to protect the shy sea mammal and revive the coastal ecosystem so crucial to their own economic survival.
Regreening the globe - Rolex Awards
The unflagging efforts of Mario Robles del Moral to reforest his native Spain have gone global, with a path of forest worldwide being the ultimate ambition.
Upcycling reshapes lives - Rolex Awards
Artisans living in Manila’s largest and poorest urban communities used to earn a pittance making rugs from scraps of material. Reese Fernandez-Ruiz set them to work using upcycled and overstock fabric to create high-end fashion accessories – and earn a decent living in the process.
Icon of the Andes - Rolex Awards
Argentine biologist Norberto Luis Jácome has brought back from near-extinction the Andean condor, a majestic symbol of South America’s birdlife.
Great mother of the hornbills - Rolex Awards
Hornbills are perhaps the most regal birds found in Asia and Africa’s tropical forests, where they play a vital role by spreading seeds. A Thai microbiologist is popularly known as the “Great Mother of Hornbills” for her ingenious strategies to save them and their habitats.
A symphony of sustainability - Rolex Awards
For Martha Ruiz Corzo, conservation and economic development for the poor go hand in hand, an ethos she made real in the mountains of central Mexico.
Repairing the past - Rolex Awards
In the mid-20th century, vultures faced extinction in Europe’s mountainous regions, their natural habitat for two million years. Michel Terrasse has spent much of his life working to reverse the birds’ destiny.
Saving Rwanda’s bird of fortune - Rolex Awards
Rwanda’s turbulent history has meant wildlife conservation has not always been able to be a priority, but the situation has improved over recent years. Olivier Nsengimana has been part of this change with an emblematic bird as his flagship species.
Preserving Paraguay’s forgotten corner - Rolex Awards
Biologist Karina Atkinson has spent more than six years helping to transform a little-known reserve in Paraguay into a model of scientific conservation and sustainable tourism that benefits the local community.
Barometers for Africa’s health - Rolex Awards
Distressed to see the regal wattled crane disappearing in South Africa, zoologist Lindy Rodwell van Hasselt expanded her conservation network to save the bird’s wetland habitats.
Reduce wildlife-human conflict in India - Rolex Awards
Conservationist Krithi Karanth is working to reduce wildlife-human conflict in India. Discover how she is increasing trust between conservationists and communities.
Protect a giant fish for the Amazon - Rolex Awards
Brazilian ecologist João Campos-Silva is working to protect the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world. Discover how doing so is lifting up local communities.
Farming the natural way - Rolex Awards
Gorur Gopinath developed eco-friendly methods of silkworm rearing in India, working with the environment rather than destroying it, and improving local living standards in the process.
Our lady of the camels - Rolex Awards
German veterinary surgeon Ilse Köhler-Rollefson works with camel herders in India’s remote Thar Desert and champions traditional pastoralist communities worldwide.
Marching for Russia’s parks - Rolex Awards
Mass marches are saving the national parks of Russia, and changing perceptions of nature conservation, thanks to the determined efforts of Irina Chebakova.
The life-saving mangroves of Manzanar - Rolex Awards
Gordon Sato’s radical method of using seawater for irrigation has helped the poor villages of coastal Eritrea develop a self-sufficient economy.
Citizen scientist - Rolex Awards
The inventions of self-taught scientist Forrest Mims have allowed amateurs and specialists across the world to measure the ozone layer that protects life on our planet.
Clean vision for India - Rolex Awards
Quitting a promising career at Google to follow a dream of rejuvenating the environment around him, Indian conservationist Arun Krishnamurthy has inspired communities to restore their polluted urban lakes.
Agents of change - Rolex Awards
Christine Keung, who immigrated to the United States when she was four, is intent on using her education as a force for good – by tackling rural pollution in Northwest China.
Wild horses and nomads - Rolex Awards
Przewalski horses had disappeared from the Mongolian steppes by the 1970s but Claudia Feh led one of several initiatives reintroducing them to the habitat they had ranged for centuries – and improved the lives of local nomads in the process.
Guardian of South America’s Gran Chaco - Rolex Awards
The Gran Chaco is one of South America’s last truly wild environments but its ecosystem is deteriorating. Conservation biologist Erika Cuéllar has been training local people to protect its extraordinary biodiversity.
Saving a forest to protect a bird - Rolex Awards
Swiss biologist Anita Studer’s ambitious project to restore part of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has resulted in more than 6 million trees being planted – many by local people – thus creating a multiplier effect across the country.
Nature and nurture - Rolex Awards
Andrew Muir, a South African conservationist is using the natural world to support young people orphaned by AIDS improve their lives, helping them to find jobs and develop life skills.
Unlocking secret behaviours - Rolex Awards
Rory Wilson has developed a revolutionary device that employs mobile technology to track how animals, including humans, use energy.
An answer to toxic leather waste - Rolex Awards
For 40 years, from his university laboratory in the Czech Republic, Karel Kolomaznik has been finding ways to recycle huge quantities of waste from leather production.
A partnership to advance exploration - Environment
Together Rolex and National Geographic are committed to inspiring and assisting new generations of explorers.
Saving the world’s threatened penguins - Rolex Awards
Pablo García Borboroglu is researching the world's penguins to guide their conservation. Discover his plans to engage local communities to save these ocean birds.

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Partnership series

Call to Earth

The Pioneers

Together to preserve the planet

Perpetual planet stories

On a Mission of Hope

Oceano de Esperança

The Pioneers who shape the future

Climate Solutions

Einzigartiger Planet

Listening to the Earth

Watching over the Earth’s Blue Heart

A vanishing forest reborn

Exploring submarine forests in Patagonia’s fjords

Stars of the deep

Darkening hues of Greenland

Mt Everest sensors give new insights into climate change

The 2019 Rolex National Geographic Explorers of the Year - The Okavango Wilderness Project Team

Perpetual Planet

Rolex and National Geographic - Perpetual Planet

Inspired individuals changing the world - Rolex Awards

An ocean of hope

Journey to the bottom of the sea

Unlocking an ocean of mystery - Environment

Under the melting ice

A long-standing commitment

Master photographer on a mission to help us see the sea - Environment

Ocean noise rings alarm bells - Rolex Awards

Listening to the Earth - Video

Recreating the emerald green forest - Rolex Awards

Stars of the sea - Rolex Awards

A vanishing forest reborn - Video

Race to save the seahorse

The Pioneers who shape the future - SKAI

The pioneers - Monocle

On a mission of hope - Australian Geographic

Patagonia’s wild depths

Exploring submarine forests in Patagonia’s fjords - Video

Inside the labyrinth

Reef rescue with the toughest corals

Darkening hues of Greenland - Video

Stars of the deep - Video

Eyes in the ocean

Gentle giant of the ocean

Rolex.org - Our apologies

Rolex.org - Our apologies

Explore the ocean in 24 hours - Environment

Explorer of the Year - Environment

Mosaic of underground beauty - Rolex Awards

Reef rescue with the toughest corals - Video

The frozen rainforest

Trieste: The deepest dive

Meet two generations of leading ocean protectors - Environment

Joining forces for the future - Environment

Explore remote volcanoes affecting Earth’s climate

The “ice stupas” that could water the Himalaya - Environment

An Amazonian legacy - Rolex Awards

Conservation begins in the classroom - Rolex Awards

A passion for the Arctic

Epic journeys

Deepsea Under The Pole by Rolex (Extended) - Video

The Okavango Wilderness Project Team - Perpetual Planet - Video

Perpetual Planet: Living Laboratory - Video

A passion for the Arctic - Video

The isle is full of wonder - Video

The frozen rainforest - Video

Explore remote volcanoes affecting earth’s climate - Video

A giant task - Video

After the Ice Maiden - Video

Patagonia’s wild depths - Video

Inside the labyrinth - Video

Riding high in the rainforest - Video

Ice towers in the desert - Video

Race to rescue the Siberian tiger - Video

Conservation begins in the classroom - Video

Mosaic of underground beauty - Video

Saving the world’s threatened penguins - Video

Great mother of the hornbills - Video

Holding back the Sahara - Video