The meeting point for nature photographers is back, the place to claim our role in awareness-raising, where to speak and listen to inspire us, where to train and think about everything. It will be again in its home town in Tremp (Lleida, Pallars Jussà) on March the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th 2018

By the end of 2016 we made the first PHOTO TERRA, it was a challenge, but we believe that we all opened the space that Nature photographers needed. We did it together: the City Council of Tremp, AEFONA and Photo Logistics. We will try again this next March. Again there will be workshops with some of the indications that you gave us then, there will be training activities, talks, screenings and spaces for thinking about us and our work.

It is not that we invite you, it is that without you there is no PHOTO TERRA. We come back to Tremp, will see you there?

A detailed explanation and the program are available in Spanish

In 1998 huge wild fires burnt the forest of Central Catalonia. Lives were lost and arable fields ruined and not least the forest was decimated. On a positive note some new habitats appeared to replace the once continuous pine forest. Areas with scarce vegetation were occupied by new birds never seen before in this area. Birds like the Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Dartford Warbler, Subalpine Warbler and Black-eared Wheatear, for example. Birds already here benefited too as new open areas are suitable hunting zones for Short-toed and Golden Eagles.

Now, some decades after the fires, the vegetation shows is changing: more oaks are growing and there is a nice alternation of massive rocks with low bush areas and young trees such as oaks and juniper. Now some  of the birds that colonised after the fire are losing their habitat, because the vegetation is becoming too dense for them.

Photo Logistics has been working in this area for the last four years to help keep these new colonists that came after the fire.  To do this we have collaborated with the local farmer and the specialized firefighters GRAF (the Catalan acronym for Forest Action Support Group) witch use to look for new areas for training in controlled fire conditions. We asked for a  permit from the Wildlife Service of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) and then, with everybody involved in a win-win action we went ahead and burnt 2 hectares to restore a small area to how it was after the big fire.

The results could not have been better; we have got an area of sparse vegetation and some bare ground for all those birds that came after the fires, the farmers cows can graze in this area and they will keep it open and we all can enjoy some colourful gorgeous birds.

The PHOTO TERRA festival was born with three themes: nature photography as a tool for the conservation of the natural environment, communication through the image and the role of nature tourism in the change of perception of local communities. To this end, different workshops will take place every year. Last year the topics were nocturnal photography and light painting taught by Èric Marsinyach and Fran Palmero, wildlife in high speed by Pablo Bou and composition in the landscape by Enrique Mariscal. We want a festival  all can participate in so next year the training themes and workshops will be decided by people coming to Photo Terra through a participation process within social networks.

Last year we went out to take pictures at sunrise following local photographers and we had a great time. As for the talks, international photographers were invited to bring us up to date with conservation projects such as Chris Gomershall, one of the UK VISION 2020 project leaders, David Tipling, who presented his amazing work Birds and People, on birds and human cultures. Òscar Domínguez, who told us about the weak situation Asian vultures are facing. Xavier Basora did the same about the potential of nature photography as an ecotourism modality and through a panel discussion we discussed the importance of photography in the current media with Maria Rosa Vila (Descobrir) and Arturo Larena (EFE). Juan Sánhez Calventus showed all the details of FOTOGENIO, a generalist photo festival born in Mazarron city council (Murcia). Finally, the local photographer Jaume Elies showed us the work of some nature photographers based in Tremp county.

This is what PHOTO TERRA was last year. What it becomes in the future is a matter for all of us. Of course, Photo Logistics will work to grow this space for sharing experiences, learning and talking about wildlife photography and conservation.