The winners of the 10th annual Mangrove Photography Awards have been announced. Hosted by the U.S.-based Mangrove Action Project (MAP), the annual award provides a platform for photographic storytelling about one of Earth’s most important ecosystems.
This year, the award attracted roughly 2,500 entries from 74 nations. Photographers entered into one of six categories: mangroves and people, mangroves and landscape, mangroves and wildlife, mangroves and threats, mangroves and underwater, or mangroves and conservation stories.
This year’s overall winner features a girl standing before the wreckage of her tea shop in eastern India.
Her shop was in Frazerganj in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. The area experienced four cyclones in three years (2019 to 2021), leading to fears about mass displacement of climate refugees.
Conservation photographer and judge Dhritiman Mukherjee describes the photo on the MAP website as “an image that raises a thousand questions, whilst connecting you to the girl’s heart. Her vulnerability exposes the full impact of climate change and sea level rise experienced by many coastal communities.”
Mangroves are a critical first line of defense against cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes. They help break up storms, reducing the winds and waves that reach shore. They also help stabilize shores, prevent erosion, and are a key habitat for thousands of species, including the turtle featured in the “Mangroves and underwater” category.
Kris Pannecoucke/Mangrove Photography Awards
This turtle in the Bahamas “gracefully navigates the mangrove’s labyrinth roots at high tide, seeking refuge for the night. At high tide the water rises, engulfing the roots and transforming this space into a haven for marine life seeking shelter and safety,” photojournalist and judge Christian Zielger writes on the MAP website.
The photo contest also sheds light on the deep relationships many communities have with mangroves. The winning “Mangroves and people” photo was taken on the Indonesia island of Bali, showing a man being covered in mangrove mud in a ceremony called Mebuug Buugan. The practice is meant to rid the body of bad spirits.
The deep, vital relationship between people, the environment and mangroves is also showcased in the “Mangrove conservation stories” category. The winning entry features photos from Demak district, Indonesia, depicting homes that were flooded after mangroves were cleared for aquaculture.
Giacomo d’Orlando/Mangrove Photography Awards
Climate change exacerbated flooding and extreme weather, making the area nearly uninhabitable. In response, locals united to replant mangroves and restore the ecosystem that sustains them.
Giacomo d’Orlando/Mangrove Photography Awards
Banner image courtesy of Vladimir Borzykin/Mangrove Photography Awards.
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