David Borish is a social researcher and documentary filmmaker pushing the boundaries of using audio-visual methodologies to explore and understand relationships between humans and wildlife across the Arctic and Subarctic. He was named as one of the Explorer’s Club’s annual “50 People Changing the World That the World Needs to Know About” class for 2023. As part of his PhD, Borish worked with Inuit communities across the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions of Canada to create HERD: Inuit Voices on Caribou, a research-based documentary film all about a 99% decline of a caribou population and what that means for community food security, identity, mental health, and overall well-being. The film has been broadcasted on CBC in Canada, has been screened at more than 15 international film festivals. Borish is now working in partnership with Inuit wildlife co-management boards and other community partners to document and share Inuit knowledge, observations, and experiences with polar bears across Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut (Labrador). The aim is to create a repository of knowledge about the cultural and ecological dimensions of polar bear management from the people who live alongside this apex predator. Borish has also worked as an instructor for the Harvard Youth Summit on Climate, Equity and Health; a visual educator for National Geographic Student Expeditions in Iceland and Alaska; a digital storytelling facilitator for youth in Iceland; and is a co-founder of Boardball, a new sport that makes volleyball more accessible. 

Language spoke: English

Photo credit: The Explorers Club