A new photo book journeys into the fragile landscapes and everyday lives of WLT partners in Argentina's Patagonia.
'100% (Ciento por Ciento)' is the latest book of photographs by Colin Dodgson made in partnership with the World Land Trust. It captures the trip that Colin made in the company of WLT Ambassador Jonny Lu to two WLT-funded wildlife reserves in Southern Argentina.
"All species deserve to exist, no matter how insignificant they may seem", Jonny Lu, WLT Ambassador.
This is the second book that Jonny and Colin have collaborated on with WLT, having produced Deeper Green in 2019 which focused on Belize's rainforests. Whilst scientists have their own - often high tech - ways of documenting nature, Colin uses an analogue camera to capture the environment around him. 100% portrays the subtle details of nature conservation work that are not often seen; from messy office desks and dirty car windows to rangers playing saxophone.
Rocks that speak
Somancura is an indigenous Mapuche word, meaning "the rock that speaks". 100% illustrates the character of La Meseta Somuncura, the vast volcanic rock plateau where WLT partner Fundacion Habitat y Desarrollo work. A windswept landscape with "horizon in every direction", it communicates stories of evolutionarily distinct species. The El Rincon Stream Frog (Pleurodema somuncurense), is a muse for the book and is what you see on opening the first page. Its survival hangs in a delicate balance. The frog, alongside the small thumb-sized Naked Characin fish also featured in the book, have evolved to survive only in the Valcheta which is constantly heated by hot springs.
The breath of whales
The other key location for many of the book's images is the Estancia La Esperanza nature reserve. Situated along the coast, the intense blue sea and rhythmic waves are a contrast to the dusty, orange tones of the Somuncura Reserve. 100% contains images of the charismatic research station where Fundacion Patagonia Natural monitors the migration of Southern Right Whales.
