French photographer Françoise Lerusse has captured the dramatic transformation of Portugal's Alcochete region in her compelling photographic series "The Last Lands," which documents the rapid disappearance of agricultural and natural landscapes on Lisbon's outskirts. The project focuses on an area that locals have dubbed "Maldita ponte" or "cursed bridge," referring to the Vasco da Gama Bridge that has fundamentally altered their community's character since its construction.

Built in 1995, the Vasco da Gama Bridge connects the small town of Alcochete to Lisbon and has accelerated the transformation of what was once primarily agricultural and natural territory into the Margem Sul, or Lisbon South Bank development area. The infrastructure project marked a turning point for the region, catalyzing urban sprawl that has dramatically reshaped the landscape over the past three decades.

The agricultural decline that began in the 1970s left many farms abandoned, creating opportunities for developers to acquire land previously used for farming. These properties were sold off systematically, one after another, making way for scattered housing developments that lack urban coherence or planning coordination. The haphazard development pattern has been further complicated by the addition of commercial spaces, logistics centers, and road junctions that have continued to erode the natural landscape.

Despite the extensive development pressure, agriculture still manages to survive in some areas of the region. Scattered throughout the increasingly urbanized landscape, a few pockets of wild nature persist, creating a patchwork of old and new land uses that reflects the area's transitional state.

Lerusse's "The Last Lands" series seeks to trace and document this territory in transition, addressing what she sees as the inexorable erasure of natural and agricultural heritage. Her work captures peri-urbanization as it progresses rapidly in real time, observed through the lens of a photographer who has been cycling through the area for several years, witnessing the changes firsthand.

The photographer's approach combines documentary-style photography with more intimate, poetic images that connect to her personal story and relationship with the landscape. This sensitive storytelling speaks to the universal theme of humanity's complex relationship with nature, while also highlighting nature's bitter struggle for survival in the small spaces left untouched by human development.

"The Last Lands" has now been compiled into a self-published book, which is available for purchase through the photographer's official website at https://www.francoiselerusse.com/les-dernières-terres. The project represents both an artistic achievement and an environmental document, preserving visual evidence of a landscape and way of life that continues to disappear.