Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to On The Move blog! On The Move is a travelling exhibition of professional photography celebrating the lives, challenges and ecological knowledge of transhumant shepherds and nomadic pastoralists in the Mediterranean region. From North Africa to the Middle East, from the Iberian Peninsula to Turkey, Greece and the Balkans, the work of 5 professional photographers will be featured in this unique travelling exhibition. The project is the result of a yearlong study of these practices by the Mediterranean Consortium for Nature and Culture, a consortium of NGOs made up of DiversEarth, Doga Dernegi, Med-INA, Associacion Transhumancia y Naturaleza, Society for Protection of Nature Lebanon, WWF North Africa and supported by MAVA Foundation and Flore and Fauna International.
On the Move will be launched in Geneva (tbc) and then travel to Spain, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and North Africa before returning to Geneva.

Transhumance is the movement of livestock in search of water and food. It differs from nomadism in that only the herders who lead the flock participate, leaving their families behind. Animal mythology and symbolism permeate all aspects of this nomadic society and their way of living is in real harmony with nature. As human groups they are part of the ecosystems they pass through and their way of living embedded in nature, are themselves part of biodiversity.

The exhibition aims to celebrate and assert the great value of the ecological knowledge of transhumant herders and nomadic pastoralists; raise awareness of the importance of these lifestyles for both nature and culture; assist in lobbying for increased recognition and strengthened legislation; and raise additional funds for supporting projects that assist transhumant herders and nomadic pastoralists in relation to biodiversity conservation.

For more information on what the Mediterranean Consortium for Nature and Culture do, visit www.medconsortium.org