Water People Stories 4
Water People Stories explore the stories of people and their water in the daily routine around the world. I document what people experience and highlight the importance of water in our daily lives. I aim to draw attention to the significance of water with the ultimate goal to help societies understand and transform how they see, value, and impact water.
During my travels worldwide, I asked people that I met to share their stories. The first set of stories was published in May 2024, but I have been collecting them since the 1980s. Here are some new stories about water, from my latest trips to Brazil.
My personal story is deeply intertwined with water and people. I was born in a former wetland area that has been significantly altered by humans over the course of 2000 years or more. Throughout my career as a scientific researcher, I have focused on freshwater wetlands, tropical floodplains, and their utilization by people. Photography has been a passion of mine, and I have captured landscapes, water, people, wildlife, and plants throughout my life. I hold a PhD in tropical biology and floodplain ecology, and my work has taken me to numerous tropical countries around the globe, always drawn to visit and learn from wetlands. As I reflect on my experiences, I revisit my diaries which document my daily observations, thoughts, conversations, and insights. Over the decades, I have witnessed and recorded the evolving state of our world. I was born in 1965, and in 1986, I realized my dream of travelling to the Amazon as a young biologist. This initial journey was followed by numerous return visits, and I eventually lived there for many years. Although I have now returned to my birthplace in Europe, my connections with friends, colleagues, and individuals grappling with water-related challenges across the world remain strong. Join me as I take you on a journey spanning nearly six decades, delving into the wetlands and the remarkable individuals I have encountered. This project seeks to explore the cultural importance of wetlands and the narratives of the people and their relationship with water.
