The value of biodiversity.
La Biblioteca del Naturalista: books that cultivate a connection with nature

In a corner of the Argentine publishing ecosystem, a unique project is growing, deeply rooted in biodiversity and a love of the land: La Biblioteca del Naturalista. This publishing house and specialized bookstore was born with a clear mission: to reconnect people with nature through quality books, carefully selected and produced.

We understand that biodiversity is much more than an ethical or aesthetic expression of the natural world: it is the basis of life as we know it. It is not just about beauty or moral principles—although those are also important—but rather a vital web of relationships that sustains the ecosystems on which we depend.

Biodiversity regulates the climate, purifies water, maintains soil fertility, provides us with food, medicine, and protection against disease. But beyond all of this, it offers us meaning, belonging, and a deep connection to the land we inhabit.

Reducing it to a visual or moral luxury is to deny that our health, our economy, and our cultures are directly intertwined with it. When a species disappears, not only is a branch of the tree of life broken; the entire system is weakened, including the human system.

In this context, the environmental knowledge, outreach, and education we promote through our editorial space are fundamental tools for building a more conscious and resilient society. Because the more we understand how biodiversity works—and the role we play in it—the better we will be able to protect it and ourselves.

In Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay (the scope of action of La Ciudad Posible), biodiversity preservation faces significant challenges due to increasing urbanization, agricultural expansion, and the exploitation of natural resources. These factors contribute to habitat fragmentation, pollution, and the loss of native species.

La Ciudad Posible addresses these challenges by implementing projects that promote the circular economy, ecosystem regeneration, and carbon footprint reduction. Its focus on sustainable and collaborative solutions is critical to mitigating the negative impacts on biodiversity in the region.

At La Biblioteca del Naturalista, we create a direct connection between people and nature. Our editorial work is born from a deep desire to captivate, to amaze, to make people look at the natural world with fresh eyes. We believe that you don't care for what you don't know, and you don't love what you haven't discovered.

For decades, knowledge about our region's biodiversity has been scattered, fragmented, or even invisible. Children's books often feature African wildlife—elephants, giraffes, lions—while our own animals, those that surround us, remain largely unknown. We're here to change that.

We specialize in bringing science to the public, and we do so with passion, rigor, and beauty. We publish books that didn't exist before, works that bring together the most up-to-date information for the first time, always with the help of the best scientists, photographers, and naturalists in the country and the region. We showcase biodiversity with striking images, but also with reliable and accessible data, because we believe that emotion and knowledge must go hand in hand.

Today, more than ever, we feel our editorial task is urgent. We live in a time where biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, often in silence, without us even knowing what we are losing. That's why, at La Biblioteca del Naturalista, we decided to do something concrete: tell what is alive. Tell it with science, with art, with emotion.

Our books are more than books: they are gateways to a world that still exists, despite everything. We are obsessed with showing the beauty of what is close, of what is wild, of what grows and breathes in the corners of Argentina and the Southern Cone. Because we believe that when someone first encounters the pitoco fox, the yellow cardinal, or the high-mountain orchid, something awakens. And once it awakens, there is no turning back: you begin to care for it, you begin to love it.

HP, SL, and IH

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Hernán Povedano, a biologist and nature photographer, is the mastermind behind this project: a scientific, sensitive, and deeply enamored perspective on the biodiversity of the Southern Cone. His drive and vision have been instrumental in creating a catalog that didn't exist before, bringing together disparate knowledge and giving it an accessible, beautiful, and rigorous form.

Solange Lombardo, nature photographer, communications manager, and social media manager, brings a close, creative, and passionate perspective. She builds the daily bridges between our publications and the people who need them, bringing science closer with emotion and beauty.

Ignacio Hernández, editorial designer, naturalist, and photographer, transforms each book into a visual and sensorial experience. His work focuses on every detail so that the content comes alive on the pages and reaches the reader with clarity, respect, and charm.

About La Biblioteca del Naturalista:

From the outset, the team behind the project aimed to gather works that invite people to observe, understand, and defend the wildlife of the Southern Cone. Their catalog ranges from field guides, children's and illustrated books, to popular science, natural history, and conservation titles. "We wanted anyone who opens one of our books to feel like they're walking through a forest, a lagoon, or a national park," they explain.

But La Biblioteca del Naturalista isn't limited to distributing third-party books. One of its most distinctive offerings is the publication of its own nature guides. This editorial approach allows them to design materials with a territorial and educational perspective, designed from and for the ecosystems of the south. The guides are designed with a visual, rigorous, and accessible approach, making them ideal tools for naturalists, families, teachers, and visitors to protected areas.

The first of these publications was a bird guide focused on a specific natural area in the center of the country. The experience involved ornithologists, illustrators, and environmental educators, and had a strong impact on schools and interpretation centers. Since then, the team has been working on new guides on native trees, footprints, insects, and collections designed specifically for children, while also considering the possibility of developing interactive digital formats.

The project's target audience is diverse: nature lovers, teachers, students, and curious readers of all ages. In the words of the editorial team, "You don't have to be a biologist to enjoy a nature book; you just need a desire to look closely." Therefore, many of its titles incorporate games, educational resources, and visual elements that invite discovery.

Maintaining an independent publishing house in Argentina isn't easy, they acknowledge. But they do it with conviction, relying on a committed community and a growing network of bookstores, fairs, and distribution spaces. At the same time, they work with institutions, parks, NGOs, and schools to ensure their publications reach those who need them most.

The future of La Biblioteca del Naturalista is projected with new publications, partnerships, and a growing educational focus. In a context of global environmental crisis, this project offers something as valuable as it is scarce: books that not only inform, but also transform the way we inhabit and view the natural world.

Because you can't protect what you don't know. And in that sense, each book can be a gateway to wonder, ecological awareness, and a commitment to the life around us. Understanding biodiversity is not just an act of curiosity: it's an act of defending the present and the future.