On Sunday, more than 800 people took part in the traditional Beaches Walk, which Lloret de Mar celebrates on the last Sunday in September and which covers a distance of around 11 kilometres along the different beaches and coves of Lloret de Mar. In addition, the Beaches Swimming was also held along the same route by sea.
This popular walk kicked off a week in which Lloret de Mar focuses on the preservation of the natural environment with two other events linked to environmental sustainability: the MontPhoto FEST international nature photography festival and the Plogging Congress.
International nature photography festival MontPhoto FEST 2024
It comes to Lloret de Mar from 4 to 6 October to celebrate its 28th edition with presentations by internationally renowned nature photographers. Jaime Rojo will present “Saving the Monarchs”, a project on the migration of monarch butterflies highlighted by National Geographic. English photographer Matt Maran will talk about the coexistence between humans and animals in Highgate Cemetery in his talk “Life instead of death”. Sergio Pitamitz will share “Stories with feathers”, focusing on the lives of birds such as starlings and the ibis eremita. On Sunday, photographer Kristel Schneider will present “Riverscape”, a visual exploration of the Allier River in France, and Ugo Mellone will close the festival with “Monk seal: the mystery of the Mediterranean” to highlight marine biodiversity. In addition, other big names such as Arturo Rodríguez, Héctor Cordero, David Hup and Michiel van Noppen will also be present with projects on migratory birds, volcanoes and bears in Romania.
In addition, MontPhoto FEST 2024 will feature prominent voices from the Catalan photographic scene. Maria Contreras Coll, a National Geographic explorer, will present her project “Women revisiting religion”, where she explores menstrual stigma and its relationship with the traditions of Nepal, reflecting on the connection between feminism, religion and territory. Marta Bretó, who has been documenting Arctic foxes in Iceland for more than a decade, will give a talk entitled “About foxes and men: the story of the first Icelandic settler” on Saturday 5 October at 16:00. The young Catalan photographer Pau de la Calle will open the festival on Friday with “Coexisting”, a reflection on the coexistence between humans and animals in the Gaia Sanctuary and the role of documentary photography in times of precariousness.
The talks are complemented by exhibitions that will be held at various locations around Lloret de Mar. The winning images from the MontPhoto 2024 competition will be on display at the Municipal Library, along with the open-air exhibition “Changing Planet” in Plaça de Pere Torrent. The Municipal Theatre will be showing “Birds of our area” by the Agrupació Fotogràfica de Catalunya and “SMOOTH” by the Portfolio Natural collective.
III Plogging Congress
Organised by La Mar de Dones, the Mossos d’Esquadra Sports Club and the Climent Guitart Foundation with the collaboration of Lloret Town Council and Lloret Turisme, it will take place on 4 and 5 October at the Guitart Central Park Aqua Resort hotel.
On 4 October, different round tables will be held to exchange experiences with organisations, companies and young people involved in the field of sustainability to debate issues such as the circular economy and sustainable tourism. This year there will be talks by Christian Pétron, professional diver, director and documentary filmmaker of underwater photography (Le Grand Bleu) and Àlex Lara, Brand Manager of Bluewave Alliance, and presentations such as those of the “Circular Seas” project by Coca-Cola, as well as a round table with the participation of Eduard Jornet, mountain guide and keeper of the Cap del Rec refuge in Cerdanya; Andrea Compaposada, director of Annelids Marine Environmental Services; Mario Vizcarro, secretary of the Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds of Girona, and David Serrano, director of ESG Barcelona Municipal Services.
The following day, 5 October, at 10:30 am, Plogging Day will be held in the Roca d’en Maig and the Dona Marinera area, an initiative that combines sport with waste collection and is open to everyone.
In the words of the Mayor of Lloret, Adrià Lamelas: “The quality of life of our residents and visitors is closely linked to the privileged environment we have and, therefore, it is a strategic objective of this government to continue to promote events and initiatives with a legacy for the future that contribute ─whether through awareness-raising, training or action─ to conserving and preserving these spaces”.
