This weekend, Rewilding Europe and WWF-Romania are inviting you for a trip through the Danube Delta, with the help of 40 unique photographs. The exhibition, on show June 13–15, in the city of Tulcea, Romania, is a core part of the third edition of the Pelicam Film Festival. The opening event will take place on Friday, June 13, at 17.00, at Casa Avramide, Tulcea.
“Fresh perspectives on the Danube Delta” is about new photographic and conservation views. Through the spectacular images taken by Magnus Lundgren, Florian Möllers, Staffan Widstrand and Cristian Mititelu-Răileanu during their expeditions over the past years, the public will get access to a never before seen part of the Delta, with its underwater world and with the daily stories of people living here. An area where WWF-Romania and Rewilding Europe are working together to try some new ways to achieve nature conservation and wildlife comeback. Including great efforts to support and assist local entrepreneurs in finding new ways to make the most out of their surroundings and make a both fair and a responsible living from wild nature.
“The natural, wild values of the Danube Delta have for too long been vastly underestimated and under-used. They still are. In spite of the delta being one of the most fantastic natural attractions of our whole continent, very few outsiders have yet ever been there! As photographers, we want to be part of telling the stories from the rewilding of this fantastic delta to the world. Please enjoy our images, and don’t forget to travel here in real life”, says wildlife photographer Staffan Widstrand, who is also a founding member and the Marketing and Communication director of the Rewilding Europe initiative. Staffan is also the winner of numerous international photography and book awards, the author of 16 books, a founder of the Swedish National Carnivore information centre, a founding member of the ”International League of Conservation Photographers” and a Director of the conservation communication initiative ”Wild Wonders of Europe”. Staffan is a founding fellow of the Swedish Ecotourism Society.
Swedish underwater photography specialist Magnus Lundgren said, after his mission in 2013, that “after thousands of dives all across the globe – still, when I entered the Danube River Delta it was like a whole new world opened up for me. To be honest, it blew me away. The high variety of environments and habitats, all in various stages of the process of consolidation, an underwater flora creating dream-like landscapes I’d never seen before”.
Magnus Lundgren has been awarded several times in major international competitions, likeWildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY), World Championship of Underwater Photography, Wetpixels DEEP Indonesia, and his images have been published by the National Geographic Magazine. He is a Director of Wild Wonders of Europe.
Wildlife photographer Florian Möllers specialises on in-depth reportages covering the relationship between man and nature, producing books and exhibitions with strong educational focus. His work has also been awarded in international competitions like the GDT and the WPY many times. Florian is a fellow of the ILCP and a Director of Wild Wonders of Europe since 2007.
For Cristian Mititelu-Răileanu, Rewilding officer in the Danube Delta team, photography is a part of his field work in the Delta, where he monitors wildlife and keeps relations up with the delta inhabitants. The first video clips were obtained through trap camera filming which started in April this year in the Somova – Parcheş area, where the delta’s first beaver family decided to settle. “It’s great to see them in real life, so shortly already after we just managed to see the beaver for the first time on video, thanks to our infrared camera traps. We can now follow how they adapt when the water level has risen since they were caught on camera, and we can also see how many other tenants the beaver’s lodge has, such as snakes or birds. This is proof of the positive impact it has on the ecosystem”, adds Cristian Mititelu-Răileanu.
After Pelicam, the exhibition will travel to all of the places in the Danube Delta that inspired it. The full itinerary will soon be available on the rewildingeurope.com website and on Facebook.