Sinking Sundarbans by Supratim Bhattacharjee (India).
In fact, less than half of Earth’s original mangrove forest cover remains.
An image that raises a thousand questions, whilst connecting you to the girls heart.
“Sinking Sundarbans” by Supratim Bhattacharjee (India). Mangrove Photographer of the Year.“Supratim Bhattacharjee witnesses a girl, standing before her tea shop, which is completely ruined by sea water in Frazerganj, Sundarbans.Nestled in the Bay of Bengal, the Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world – and one of the most vulnerable. Once lauded as nature’s custodians, these mangroves now endure relentless threats driven by human development and the climate crisis.”
And conservation as a story, is a complicated one.
Photography has the ability to help us receive and feel close to those stories no matter our language.
Every time I look at this kind of photography, I think, there’s still hope.
“Nature’s Ribbon” by Ammar Alsayed Ahmed (United Arab Emirates). Mangroves & Landscape Winner.“In nature’s embrace, a sinuous water channel meanders gracefully, flanked by a verdant gallery of mangrove trees lining its edges, in Al Dhafra Region, Abu Dhabi.”
Here are the winners and finalists of the 2024 Mangrove Photography Awards.
Nature’s Ribbon by Ammar Alsayed Ahmed (United Arab Emirates).
Mud Bath Ritual by Johannes Panji Christo (Indonesia).
“Mud Bath Ritual” by Johannes Panji Christo (Indonesia). Mangroves & People Winner.“Johannes Panji Christo watches as a local Balinese man is covered in mud during a bathing tradition, locally known as Mebuug Buugan.Mebuug Buugan was recently revived after a 60-year hiatus. Hosted the day after the annual “Day of Silence Festival”, in which people stay home and self-reflect, the ritual sees people pray for gratitude and earth’s fertility.”
Mangrove at Night by Nicholas Alexander Hess (Australia).
Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year.An in-camera multiple exposure image of elements of the mangrove captured in the dark.
Symbiosis by Giacomo d’Orlando (Indonesia).
“Mangrove at Night” by Nicholas Alexander Hess (Australia). Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year.“An in-camera multiple exposure image of elements of the mangrove captured in the dark.”
As a result, the sea is literally swallowing peoples homes.
Symbiosis by Giacomo d’Orlando (Indonesia).
Guardians of the Gulf by Nick Conzone (USA).
“Symbiosis” by Giacomo d’Orlando (Indonesia). Mangrove Storytelling Winner.“In Demak Regency, a combination of human induced activities and the increasing pressure brought by climate change are threatening coastal communities. The coastline has been severely eroded, and mangroves that once protected the coast have been cut down and replaced by aquaculture ponds. As a result, the sea is literally swallowing people’s homes. Despite the difficult living conditions, most of Demak’s residents don’t want to move because their income potential is tied to their location near the sea. Over time, though, they have realized that the only solution is to restore the ecosystem by replanting the mangroves that had been cut down.”
Mangrove Walls Broken by Dipayan Bose (India).
Mangroves & Threats Winner.Dipayan Bose frames a villager standing inside his half-submerged home during a flood.
Mud-Ring Feeding by Mark Ian Cook (USA).
“Symbiosis” by Giacomo d’Orlando (Indonesia). Mangrove Storytelling Winner.
Sian Kaans Orange Carpet by Santiago Gibert Isern (Mexico).
Nature & Space by Jeff Thamert (USA).
Mangroves & Threats Runner Up.Jeff Thamert records a rocket launch above Floridas mangroves.
“Guardians of the Gulf” by Nick Conzone (USA). Mangroves & Underwater Runner Up.“Nick Conzone captures the moment a Diamondback terrapin emerges from its underground burrow in the Gulf Coast of Florida’s mangrove islands.”
Guardians of the Mangroves by Olivier Clement (Bahamas).
Mangroves & Underwater Winner.Olivier Clement offers a glimpse into the intricate world of mangrove roots in the Bahamas.
Satellite-tagged Rewilding Hope by Upamanyu Chakraborty (India).
“Mangrove Walls Broken” by Dipayan Bose (India). Mangroves & Threats Winner.“Dipayan Bose frames a villager standing inside his half-submerged home during a flood. Due to repeated tropical cyclones and sea level rise in the Bay of Bengal, river embankments have become broken by high tides in coastal villages across the Sundarbans, West Bengal. As a result, homes and farms have flooded, fisheries have become destroyed by seawater, and people have been forced to migrate, victims of climate change.”
Mudskipper in Aurora by Jayanta Guha (India).
Mangroves & Wildlife Runner Up.Mudskippers are actually a species of fish found in mangroves and mudflats.
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“Mud-Ring Feeding” by Mark Ian Cook (USA). Mangroves & Wildlife Winner.“Restoration scientist and photographer Mark Cook witnesses a bottlenose dolphin grabbing a mullet from the air during ‘mud-ring feeding’.”
“Sian Kaan’s Orange Carpet” by Santiago Gibert Isern (Mexico). Mangroves & Landscape Runner Up.“Santiago Gibert Isern captures the unique patterns of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Quintana Roo in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.During a series of flights to document the reserve’s conservation status at the beginning of the rainy season, the conservation photographer and storyteller noticed the intense colors below.”
“Nature & Space” by Jeff Thamert (USA). Mangroves & Threats Runner Up.“Jeff Thamert records a rocket launch above Florida’s mangroves.”
“Guardians of the Mangroves” by Olivier Clement (Bahamas). Mangroves & Underwater Winner.“Olivier Clement offers a glimpse into the intricate world of mangrove roots in the Bahamas.”
“Satellite-tagged Rewilding Hope” by Upamanyu Chakraborty (India). Mangroves & People Runner Up.“Upamanyu Chakraborty captures a Northern River terrapin (Batagur baska) before release as part of a conservation breeding program and rewilding in the Sundarbans.”
“Mudskipper in Aurora” by Jayanta Guha (India). Mangroves & Wildlife Runner Up.“Mudskippers are actually a species of fish found in mangroves and mudflats. Spending most of their time out of the water, they’re adapted to remain on land even after the tide has gone out. They mostly breathe by holding water in their mouth and gill chamber, though staying damp also allows them to breathe through their skin. Their large eyes make them excellent predators while their pectoral fins act as legs, allowing them to crawl over mud and trees along the mangrove floor.”
