Fieldwork in the Time of Corona

What seemed like such a great idea when we designed this project – to focus on national parks that lie across or abut national borders – is proving something of a headache today, as the spread of the corona virus has closed down borders and made travel almost impossible. All plans for fieldwork this summer are currently on hold while we await developments. Meanwhile, while we are stuck in Munich, Leeds, and Groningen respectively, the migrating birds are returning to their breeding grounds on the Wadden Sea, bears are perhaps enjoying the decrease in human visitors to the Pyrénées, and bark beetle in the Bavarian Forest remain oblivious of the closed border between the Czech Republic and Germany. It’s a reminder that mobilities are experienced and enacted very differently by different species – something we are hoping to look more into as this project proceeds.