Already in my childhood I had become fascinated by nature.
My parents where living in 741 acres of forest and heath area at the Antwerp Campine. It was here that I, together with my brothers Ilf and Indra, went out to study and catch all sorts of animals and plants. At school my first lectures handeled the topics of Viviparous lizards and Sun-dew. A living sample was used to convince the other children of there existance.
After a while our own expeditions into the nearby nature were supplemented by activities from organizations like Nature 2000 and JNM (Youth Organization for Nature and Environmental protection).
Soon my biggest interest turned out to be the study of birds. When I was 16, I made my first trip abroad, destination the previous Czechoslovakia. Later more journeys would follow. Little by little I realized that nature not merely exists of birds or plants as solitary entities but that they where part of a fragile balance. A feeling of responsibility to help preserving these last pieces of nature was growing rapidly. An active membership at the local division of the nature conservation organization 'Natuurpunt' was the logical outcome. As we speak I'm already 8 years the conservator of the nature reserve "Viersels Gebroekt", part of the bigger reserve "Valley of the Kleine Nete " and member of management of the local division. I'm also member of the municipal councils for nature and environment and spatial scheduling.
As a birdwatcher Belgium soon proved to be too small. In my quest to satisfy my desire to find and photograph new species of birds the number of destinations visited grew exponentially. After each trip abroad I needed some time to adapt in the small and insipid bird country that is Belgium and soon new plans where made up for a next birdtrip. After a few years being committed at nature conservation and management, my interest in other groups of animals and plants has flared up again. Presently, I'm also intensively studying Carabid beetles, Grasshoppers, Moths, Dragonflies,…  Every day I'm stupified of what there's still living and moving around us and almost nobody has ever noticed. This is also the main reason why I started photographing all of this.
With my pictures I want to show what beauty is still surrounding us and I hope this site can provide a contribution on nature conservation, determination of species and nature- and environmental education.

Maarten