Tag Archives: ecology

Bat Lectures For Students

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That’s me, Bohdana Vashchenko, lecturing about bats for the 4th-grade students of Ilia State University (Tbilisi) ecotourism faculty on Wednesday, 20 December, 2023. We had a great conversation about the extraordinary abilities of bats and their important role in Georgia’s ecosystems. We also busted some common myths about these fascinating creatures. We also discussed how bats contribute to agroecosystems and how to start bat ecotourism in Georgia. 

Thank you, Natalia Bakhtadze Engländer and Ilia University, for this possibility! Thank you, Alexander Bukhnikashvili and Sofo, for coming and sharing your experience, brilliant humor, and knowledge of bats. 

Bats Of Georgia: The Lecture At Akaki Tsereteli State University

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I lectured at Akaki Tsereteli State University (Kutaisi, Georgia) on Monday, 25 November 2023. The talk was attended by students from the geography, biology, and ecology faculties in the 1st to 4th courses. National Geographic photographer @viktor_lyagushkin and I spoke at length about our project, funded by the National Geographic Society, which was dedicated to the bats of Georgia. We discussed bats’ unique abilities and the role of bats in Georgia’s ecosystems and debunked some of the myths surrounding them. We also talked about the importance of storytelling and community engagement.

I had the great pleasure of having such an interested and open-minded audience. I appreciate their enthusiasm and engagement. I want to express my gratitude to Irakli Julakidze for making this lecture possible and for his kind assistance during the event.


Exhibition “Magical World of the White Sea” in Moscow park “Green River”

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Viktor Lyagushkin’s exhibition “Magical World of the White Sea” opened In Moscow park “Green River”. It will run until the beginning of April.

The exhibit presents 47 works, this is the most complete selection of underwater photographs of the White Sea.

Ice and Beasts in Divemaster Magazine

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Two huge materials at once: about the world’s first art gallery under the ice, which opened on the White Sea on the basis of the touristic center “Arctic Circle” within the framework of our team’s project “Until the ice melts”.

And a second one is a long article about how the shooting for our project “White Sea Bestiary” took place: about creativity, mysticism and photography in the article by Bogdana Vashchenko for those who know German.

Well, the cover by Viktor Lyagushkin.

Under-ice gallery “Until the Ice Melts” in the German magazine GEO Saison

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The goal of the “Until the Ice Melts” project, led by our Phototeam.pro team headed by photographer Viktor Lyagushkin, is to draw attention to the problem of climate change and the melting of the Arctic.

Here we have another recognition of the importance of the project: one more publication abroad, in the German magazine GEO Saison for October 2021, a note on the world’s first under-ice gallery “Until the Ice Melts”.

Personal Exhibition in Moskwarium

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A personal exhibition by Viktor Lyagushkin (Nikon Ambassador, National Geographic photographer, SUBAL Pro Team member and leader of our PHOTOTEAM.PRO) is taking place in the Moskvarium (Moscow, Russia) as part of the Gorizont ecological festival.

The exhibition titled “The White Sea: Man and Nature” presents photographs from the projects “Until the Ice Melts” and “White Sea Bestiary”. Bizarre Arctic animals coexist with humanoid demons. Thus Viktor shows the environmental problems of the northern seas.

The exhibition will run until July 4, 2021, admission is free.

Freediving in Baikal: Our Piece in National Geographic (Russia)

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My and Viktor’s article about Alexei Molchanov’s record, which he set for the Guinness Book this spring on Lake Baikal. The goal of the record was to draw attention to the ecological problems of the lake.

The entire May issue of National Geographic (Russia) is dedicated to the seas and oceans, and it’s great that we succeeded to become a part of it.

Text by Bogdana Vashchenko, photo by Viktor Lyagushkin.

The piece can be reached also at NAtGeo (Russia) website here.

Reportage On Until The Ice Melts Exhibition on Franceinfo TV Channel

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The reportage of the French TV channel Franceinfo about our underwater gallery “Until The Ice Melts”. Great team, very good guys, it was a pleasure to work with them.

Underwater video by Bogdana Vashchenko.

You can view the reportage about the exhibition here