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portrait of a living marsh


view of Polish farmlands PORTRAIT OF A LIVING MARSH is a celebration of one of the last remaining lowland marshes in Europe, the vast area in Northeast Poland that lies along the Biebrza and Narew rivers. A land where centuries-old traditions of farming have existed in harmony with a nature rich in plant and animal life. Here it is still possible to meet with elk (moose), beaver and wolf. Over 230 species of birds can be found, and many plants unique to the region. As this landscape is seen as a natural and cultural heritage for Europe, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with WWF International in Gland, Switzerland, has developed a masterplan for the founding of a National Park in 1994.

This book resulted from a field expedition in the spring of 1992 organised by ANF and WWF International, when 32 artists from 15 countries lived for two weeks in a village on the edges of the marshes, recording what they found. A dazzling selection was made from some 2000 drawings, paintings and sculptures, which reveal the great beauty of the landscape, and many intimate details of the lives of birds and animals, and of plants and insects. There are portraits too of the daily life of the villagers and the farmyards with their free-ranging livestock - and the nesting storks, which so inspired the artists.

PORTRAIT OF A LIVING MARSH makes a serious attempt to assess the importance of these Polish wetlands to the whole of Europe, and to appeal for their preservation. The ANF and WWF International, who sponsored the visit, hope that the book will bring alive to many people the wonders to be found in this Polish wilderness, and will inspire those in whose hands its future lies, so that the survival is ensured for all time.

Ysbrand Bronwers Sr.
Director ARTISTS FOR NATURE FOUNDATION