Along a quiet part of Canada’s Pacific coast, a few hundred kilometres north of the busy streets of Vancouver, bears, moose and caribou roam in verdant rainforests that are criss-crossed by rivers in which salmon run under the watchful gaze of bald eagles. Here, in narrow, rocky ocean channels, swim endangered orcas, humpback whales and other marine mammals.

It is also here that at least 14 major industrial oil and gas projects have been proposed. If even only some of these projects were to be approved, there would be a dramatic increase in shipping traffic in the region, which has been fortunate to escape large-scale human interference until now.

This year, Diana Chan of Pacific Wild is embarking on a mission to bring this world and its whales to the public eye – literally. Her goal is to use remote HD cameras to study and highlight the Great Bear Rainforest’s cetaceans. And by live-streaming the camera feeds online, she hopes to facilitate an education programme and build strong support for the region. One camera has already been deployed, but Diana plans to set up many more. Keep an eye on pacificwild.org!