Forgotten Places

Frederic Demeuse

2026 — Belgium

About this series

Earth’s spectacular primary forests are unique and irreplaceable ecosystems, unmatched in their ability to provide ecosystem services as nature-based solutions — the highest quality ecosystem services of all, the purest freshwater, far greater carbon stocks, and better protection against climate change than degraded forests offer. They are also more resilient and resistant to fire, and may function as natural quarantine zones by limiting the spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.
Primary forests are therefore essential life-support systems, more critical than ever to addressing many of our most urgent environmental and social problems. Beyond that, primary and natural forests seem to revel in the long span of their own free evolution, expressing their radicalism, their anarchy, to the point of exuberance, in the most beautiful aesthetic chaos imaginable. In these “forgotten places,” the improbable is ordinary.
This series offers an overview of my wanderings through primary and natural forests across Europe and other parts of the world. These images can be read as valuable visual testimony of truly untamed places, unspoiled by any anthropogenic influence.
Our civilizations were born in these very complex ecosystems, which now safeguard our collective memory. Without them, humanity’s future is not guaranteed. Their disappearance would be a major loss and a profound collective failure. Yet they are vanishing fast. We urgently need to protect all the forgotten places that remain — even the smallest patches matter for us all.

Photographer: Frederic Demeuse
Nationality: Belgian
Based in: Brussels, Belgium
Website:  www.fredericdemeuse.com
Instagram: @fredericdemeuse

Frédéric Demeuse is a photographer and trained naturalist and ornithologist from Brussels, Belgium. His photographs—born from lived dreams and pure curiosity—express his unquenchable desire: to bear witness, to remember, and share his encounters with the extraordinary diversity of our planet Earth in all its infinite richness and complexity.
With a passion for art, adventure, and exploration, he has always been particularly drawn to forest ecosystems. His photographic approach aims to transcribe the vital energy, beauty, and poetry of our world—ranging from subtle details to majestic landscapes and the most remote primary forests—through a visual idealism meant to both revitalize and inspire.
An author of several books and recipient of numerous awards—including First Prize in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition—Frédéric’s work has been published and exhibited internationally. At the heart of his practice is a single mission: to document and share the diversity and poetry of our planet, fostering a deeper appreciation for the world we inhabit and share with countless other forms of life.