La Salamandre began as a simple fanzine when Julien Perrot was just 11 years old. “The goal was to reconnect people with the living world, with plants, birds, trees, insects, and all the life I could observe as a kid.”
Forty-two years later, La Salamandre is an independent, non-profit publishing house that produces various content to learn about, discover, and love nature. It includes three magazines: Salamandre for adults, La Petite Salamandre for ages 4-7, and La Salamandre Junior for ages 8-12.
Within these publications, you can find all sorts of practical sections for observing animals, using wild plants, news about nature, in-depth features on specific animals, plants, or natural environments, comics, and investigations. There are also games for children, puzzles, activities, recipes, and quizzes.
La Salamandre also publishes about a dozen books each year, including field guides and essays, and offers an online nature documentary platform, Salamandre TV. Not to mention a YouTube channel called La Minute Nature.
So why encourage people to engage with nature? First, it has the virtue of providing us with positive energy. "It benefits our mental health, calms our blood pressure, and releases a cocktail of hormones that relax us. It also helps us slow down in a world that is moving faster and faster,” explains Julien Perrot.
“It’s also about reminding people that nature is all around them and encouraging them to go out into it. It’s about taking care of oneself and giving oneself the strength and resources to engage later.”
Moreover, it’s about becoming aware of the interdependencies we all have with the entire ecosystem.
“We joyfully try to share our love for the living world. And to do so, which is very important today, in a truly positive way. Because we need beauty, light, hope, and stories that motivate us to change the world,” concludes Julien Perrot.
