Robin Hinsch - 2020 Sony Professional Grant
Most of the last European old-growth forests (a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance and thereby exhibits unique ecological features) are found in Romania. The survival of these virgin forests are under immediate threat from ongoing illegal logging and the increasing risk of wildfires. The forests are often situated within Romanian National Parks and have been classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
These valuable ecosystems are home to rare and endangered species such as bears, wolves, lynx and wildcats. The eradication of these Romanian primeval forests is one of Europe’s most pressing environmental issues today, yet it's barely talked about. Fortunately, there are a few local activists and rangers working together to try and stop the destruction of these forests.
The Sony Professional Grant will allow Robin to spend several weeks in the area of northern Romania, investigating some of the places where illegal logging and wildfires are taking place. Working together with local people, Robin wants to develop a new series that presents the environmental challenges caused by numerous illegal activities in the forest, while visually documenting the cultural richness of the Region Maramures in the Carpathian mountains.
