Robert Bateman and Birgit Freybe Bateman

Robert Bateman and Birgit Freybe Bateman will the special guests aboard Emperors & Kings: Snow Hill and South Georgia from November 15 to December 6, 2009. The couple have shared a deep concern for the conservation and preservation of our natural and human heritage. While special guests aboard our icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, they will deliver two presentations about their lifetimes’ work

Robert is an internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and activist. In recognition of his lifetime of work, he was made Officer of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian award. In recognition of his conservation efforts the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) honored him with the Rachel Carson Award. Amnesty International presented him with its Human Rights Defender Award. In 1998, he was named one of the 20th Century’s Champions of Conservation by the United States National Audubon Society.

Birgit is a professional artist and photographer whose images have appeared in books and magazines such as Conde Nast Traveller, Outside Magazine, and National Geographic Adventure. She is past director of World Wildlife Fund Canada as well as the Friends of Vancouver Island Marmot Foundation.