Green Veins of Europe
Eco-corridors are connecting routes that animals and plants use to move and disperse. You sometimes see them as bridges over motorways, for example. They are a key issue in the European Union (EU) as part of the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy. The European Green Deal has agreed to make the EU climate neutral by 2050. Large sums will be invested over the next decade to achieve this goal. Eco-corridors play an important role herein. Connecting nature reserves is essential to reduce CO2 emissions, strengthen biodiversity and enable animals and other species to adapt to the changing climate and rainfall patterns. A single European eco-corridor, however, does not yet exist. Each country has its own plans to build these connecting routes.
In this series, photographer Alex Kemman follows a potential eco-corridor from the Netherlands to Italy. He captures different types of connecting routes that cross national borders. Focusing on the boundaries between humans and nature, the images evoke mixed feelings about our relationship with nature. They inspire a different way of looking at our environment.
‘Green Veins of Europe’ was made possible by Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten, European Journalism Fund, Postcode Loterij Fonds and Message in a Photo.
Alex Kemman (Netherlands, 1988) is a cultural anthropologist and criminologist interested in showing the invisible and underlying processes of power. His long-term photography projects cover development issues, water politics, human rights and ecology. Herein, he adopts a ‘slow journalism’ approach, using research methods as well as theoretical insights from his academic background.
Courtesy: Inland Stories group.
