Ian McAllister (conservationist)

Ian Thomas McAllister (born 11 April 1969) is a Canadian wildlife conservationist, film director and nature photographer. McAllister is executive director of Pacific Wild. He is the author and co-author of 15 books, and has directed many films.
Early life and education.
McAllister was born in West Vancouver in 1969, one of five children of Peter and Jane McAllister. He attended Shawnigan Lake School, on Vancouver Island and took Southeast Asian studies at the University of Victoria.
Career.
In 1991 Ian co-founded the organization Raincoast Conservation Society. After visiting the Great Bear Rainforest in about 1994, he began studying and photographing the area. In 1997 he published a book, "The Great Bear Rainforest: Canada’s Forgotten Coast", with his wife Karen and Cameron Young; the next year he and his wife were named by Time magazine as an “Environmental leaders of the 21st Century”.
In 2007 the McAllisters founded the Canadian wildlife conservation organization Pacific Wild, which works to bring awareness to conservation issues in the Great Bear Rainforest through visual storytelling, education and engagement whilst advocating for wildlife and their habitat.
In 2016 McAllister presented a talk, "Conservation in Canada's Great Bear Rainforest" at the TEDxBrentwoodCollegeSchool event.
McAllister's film , shot for IMAX and Giant Screen theatres, was released internationally in 2019.
McAllister is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
His images have been featured on the front cover of National Geographic Magazine and he is currently directing development of two new IMAX films. His images are represented by National Geographic Image Collection.
Awards.
In 2000, McAllister received the Rainforest Action Network’s Rainforest Hero Award. In 2010 he was the recipient of the North American Nature Photography Association’s Vision Award.
In 2019, McAllister was given and award for Best Cinematography by the Giant Screen Cinema Association, as well as an award for Best Engaging Youth Film by Jackson Wild Media.
Personal life.
McAllister is married to Karen, with two children. They divide their time between Denny Island in the Great Bear Rainforest in Heiltsuk First Nation territory, and Vancouver Island.