Cristina Mittermeier

Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier (born Cristina Sofía Goettsch Cabello: November 26, 1966 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a photographer. She has coauthored books for popular and scientific audiences, as well as scientific papers and magazine articles. She is founder, former President, and a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Mittermeier received her undergraduate degree in marine biology from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, (ITESM) in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico in 1989. She married Dr. Russell Mittermeier in 1991 and the two of them moved to Great Falls, Virginia. It is with him that she has coauthored several books. Prior to becoming a professional photographer, she conducted fieldwork in the Gulf of California and the Yucatan Peninsula in subjects including marine mammals, fisheries, aquaculture, biodiversity research and conservation.

The Kayapo, Cristina Mittermeier

Mittermeier studied photography at the Corcoran College for the Arts in Washington, D.C. (no degree). Her images focus on demonstrating the important relationship between human cultures, especially indigenous people and biodiversity. A good portion of her work centers on a tribe from the central Amazon called the Kayapo (see image on the left).The Kayapo continue to invite her back to photograph their way of life and their struggle to keep their territory and she said she "tries to bring that story out in the most dignified, compelling way" she can. Mittermeier said that she’s passionate about the lives and struggles of indigenous people and the important role they play to protect biodiversity, languages, culture, and landscapes.

In 2005, Mittermeier created the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), and in 2011 resigned from her position as the organization's President. She sits on the Board of Directors of the WILD Foundation, and the Chairman's Council of Conservation International (her ex-husband's organization). Mittermeier also photographed, and was integral to the deliberations of, the Defying Ocean's End Conference (Los Cabos, Mexico 2003), working closely with Dr. Sylvia Earle.

In 2008, she was named one of Sony's Artisans of Imagery.

Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier has edited or coathored nineteen books, including the CEMEX Conservation Book Series.

• Hotspots: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions, 1999. Conservation International, Washington, DC
• Megadiversity: Earths Biologically Wealthiest Nations, 1997. CEMEX, Mexico
• Wildlife Spectacles
• Hotspots Revisited: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions, 2005. Conservation International, with a Foreword by Harrison Ford and Ed Wilson.
• Wilderness Areas: Earth’s Last Wild Places, 2003. Conservation International, Washington, DC
• TransboundaryConservation: A New Vision for Protected Areas, 2005. Conservation International, Washington, DC
• The Human Footprint: Challenges for Wilderness and Biodiversity, 2006. CEMEX, Conservation International, International League of Conservation Photographers. Mexico
• A Climate for Life, Facing the Global Challenge, 2008.CEMEX, Conservation International, International League of Conservation Photographers. Mexico
• The Wealth of Nature, 2009. CEMEX, Conservation International, International League of Conservation Photographers. Mexico
• Freshwater; the Essence of Life, 2010. CEMEX, Conservation International, International League of Conservation Photographers.

International Journal of Wilderness. Conservation Photography, Art, Ethics and Action

Nature (journal) Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities

Science (journal). Marine Biodiversity Hotspots and Conservation Priorities for Tropical Reefs

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Wilderness and biodiversity conservation in PNAS

Conservation Biology (journal). Warfare in Biodiversity Hotspots

Outdoor Photographer Magazine. Picturing Culture.

Popular Photography. Photography Innovators of 2006.

Popular Photography. New Networks for Conservation Photographers.

Naturescapes. Disclosure and Truthfulness in Conservation Photography, a Photojournalism Moral Compass

Photomedia. Conservation Photography: Art Born of Environmental Ethic

Pronature Photography

Huffington Post (Huffpost Green) 'Witness: Defining Conservation Photography' Explores Art's Purpose In Protecting Nature

Nature's Best Conservation Photographer of the Year 2010

Member of the World Photographic Academy

North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) 2010 Mission Award