MEDITERRANEAN SEA: A SEA TURTLE ODYSSEY

Paola Lai’ s project “Mediterranean Sea: a Sea Turtle Odyssey” has been shortlisted among the five finalists of ISPA (Italian Sustainability Photo Award)’ s 2022 edition for both best single photo and best story categories and Paola has been offered to become a Lowepro Ambassador.

ISPA was created in 2019 as a response to the need of raising more awareness towards environmental, social and governance sustainability. From 2022, Lowepro has become ISPA’s technical partner.

THE PROJECT: SEA TURTLES CONSERVATION 

Sea turtles are an emblematic symbol of endangered marine species, with fast decreasing populations all over the world and also in the Mediterranean area. They could be considered as tiebreakers of human pressures on the oceans due to their high sensitivity to climate change, a consequent rise in sea temperature, and human impact, such as plastic pollution, bycatch fishing, poaching, and degradation of habitats (both the sea and the nesting sites on the beaches). It is estimated that about 150,000 of them die each year in the Mediterranean Sea only, because of the above-mentioned causes, but they’re an essential link in the food chain, and as they depend on a healthy sea, also a healthy sea depend on them. 

This project follows the marine biologists who work at CRes, an Italian Research and Marine Wildlife Rescue Center that studies and supports Sea Turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. They collaborate with the Zooprophylactic Institute, specialized vets, and the Regional Nature Conservation and Forestry Policy Service for the protection and conservation of this species and the sea, participate in an international research net and carry out an essential job. In fact, they represent the last standing tile that has to be held and encouraged in a devastating domino effect that begins much earlier and in which human impact on nature and the sea is at the head of the game. Being side by side with the researchers unfolds the story through the joys and delusions of success and helplessness that their job has to deal with and with which, directly or indirectly, we are all implied and responsible for. It also highlights how vital conservation and scientific research are for sustainability. 

"I’M PROUD TO BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR SUCH A BRAND, WHICH I CAN ABSOLUTELY TRUST TO KEEP MY GEAR SAFE AND WHICH ALSO SHARES MY VALUES..."
- Paola Lai

LOWEPRO: A VALUABLE COLLABORATION 

It is nowadays clear that the only possible course is a sustainable one, and that to get results, it has to be science-based. Big companies have an important educational role in giving an example of sustainable manufacturing chains, developing their products according to eco-conception, and considering every single step of production: supply, manufacturing, packaging, retail, and life cycle. Knowing that Lowepro, as a worldwide leader firm, is truly committed to making a difference and has signed its own green pledge, being a model to follow, makes me feel in line with what I do and in what I believe. I’ve been using Lowepro bags for more than twenty years now, so I knew well about the excellence of their products. They really made a difference for me! No matter the weather or the time I have to carry my gear, I've always felt my cameras and lenses are safe, and the backpacks are comfortable even when loaded and when I have to transport them for a long time. I remember coming back from a Scottish island after a shooting, and the North Sea getting really rough. We all got drenched in the boat, but while my gear was safe and dry inside my Lowepro Dryzone bag, my colleagues had to dry theirs for hours, hoping they didn't lose it. I’m proud to be an Ambassador for such a brand, which I can absolutely trust to keep my gear safe and which also shares my values in raising awareness about sustainability and environmental engagement. It makes my work even more worth it. 

PAOLA LAI

Paola Lai is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller from Italy with a BA in Photography at Lancaster University (UK) and a Master in photojournalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, Spain). She focuses towards social and environmental issues and the interactions and conflicts between Man and Nature, looking for universal unfolding through individual and local stories. She pays attention to the consequences of human impact in today’s world and the urge to take action for a sustainable way of living. Her work has been recognized in prestigious international photography awards such as Sony World Photography Awards, International Photography Awards (IPA), Paris Photo Prize (PX3) and, the most recent, the Italian Sustainability Photography Award (ISPA).