Erich Pröll

Albania in the southeast of Europe – situated between Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro – hosts an astonishingly diverse landscape. Harmonic coastal areas lead to harsh karst landscapes. Snow-covered mountain regions, wild canyons, waterfalls, deep-blue lakes and untouched rivers are perfect conditions for an immensely rich flora and fauna. Decades of war preserved wide areas of the country from industrial exploitation, so the natural environment is still untouched.

Deep in the Atlantic new islands are forming, very slowly, alongside the ancient peaks of the Azores. Some of these emerging islands now reach to just below the surface. But how did the jungle find its way on to the inhospitable rocks, long before the arrival of humans? The answer is birds. Species from Europe and America arrived here carrying seeds. They are in some ways the founders of the islands. And the most common creatures on the Azores are spiders! Around them, following the currents, the giants of the sea congregate to enjoy the feast of microscopic plankton these islands serve them.