For the 10th year in a row, The Mangrove Photography Awards, hosted by the Mangrove Action Project, are spreading awareness about mangroves’ importance to various species and to us humans as well. “Every year, we’re inspired by the incredible submissions, which help raise awareness of the people and wildlife that rely on mangrove forests, the threats they face, and why urgent action is needed to protect them,” wrote the organizers on their site. So today, we would like to present you with this year’s winners, runner-ups, and highly commended entries. Hopefully, these photos will inspire you to learn more about mangroves and their importance to our world and maybe even try to help preserve them. Take a look at the winners of 2023. And here are the People’s Choice Awards, where people can vote for their favorite mangrove photo on Instagram. More info: photography.mangroveactionproject.org | Instagram | Facebook | Instagram First of all, Thom shared his fascination with the winning image by Supratim. “This year’s winning image is so powerful. We see a girl’s life turn upside down after a cyclone, her teahouse drowning in the background. Her look of helplessness, reflecting the turmoil of life for many people on the coastlines of the Sundarbans in India. The whole village was entirely flooded by the sea and this girl and her family had to move away to build a new home. It’s a common problem in the area where extreme weather events have meant seawater breaches the protective embankments, their land becomes inundated with saltwater from the sea, making it impossible to grow crops, on which they rely for food. Although devastating, there is a bit of good news for the girl. I did hear that the photographer returned to the same region this past week and found the girl and the family surviving well at the new home they built.” “The award-winning photo was captured during the complete COVID-19 lockdown on a cyclonic day. I was staying at a hotel in Bakkhali, documenting the devastating impact of cyclonic weather on a full moon day, a project I’ve pursued for nearly two decades in the Sundarbans region. The night before the photo was taken, I planned a visit to Lakkhipur village with my friend Goutam. Fraserganj, where the picture was taken, lacks embankments, making it particularly vulnerable. I arrived early in the morning and witnessed the overwhelming force of the high tides. The residents of Lakkhipur, located on Frazerganj, were frantically trying to save their belongings from the encroaching sea water. Among them was 11-year-old Pallavi, whose house, including a tea shop, had been completely submerged the previous night. Her composed demeanor and resilient expression amid the chaos compelled me to capture her photograph, showcasing her strength in the face of such devastation. Speaking with Pallavi, she shared how the relentless sea waves are slowly eroding their future year after year.” “Growing up, I frequently visited my maternal grandparents’ home in Canning, near the Sundarbans. I fondly remember the lush greenery and playing under the expansive, shady trees during scorching summer afternoons. However, nearly 28-30 years later, the landscape has dramatically changed. The indiscriminate cutting down of trees has transformed the area, and many islands in the Sundarbans, once teeming with Sundari trees and mangrove forests, have lost their verdant charm. The large trees that once acted as buffers against soil erosion from tidal floods are now gone, making floods and cyclonic attacks increasingly common. Several islands have already submerged, and many more are at risk. Climate change has dramatically altered our environment over the past few decades. In the Sundarbans, I have personally witnessed the drastic transformation of the landscape due to global warming and frequent cyclones. Rising sea levels, driven by global warming, have led to increasingly severe flooding from violent storm surges. Many islands have already submerged, and predictions suggest that a significant portion of the Sundarbans will be underwater in the coming years. If this trend continues, even Kolkata could face flooding.” Through my photography, I aim to raise awareness about climate change in the Sundarbans and its impact on the lives of children in the region. I am capturing the faces of climate change victims to send a powerful message: it is time to take action on fossil fuels, the primary driver of rising global temperatures. The consequences—droughts, wildfires, sea level rise, disease, and migration—are already here, and we must act now to mitigate further damage.” Located in the embrace of the Bay of Bengal, the Sundarbans archipelago straddles the borders of India and Bangladesh, with India claiming a significant 40% of its vast expanse, encompassing roughly 10,000 square kilometers. Celebrated as the planet’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans hosts a collection of 102 deltaic islands within the Indian territory, of which 52 are inhabited. Serving as a natural shield against the fury of storm surges and cyclones, this ecological marvel stands as an invaluable asset. However, relentless exploitation for economic gain has unleashed a cascade of detrimental consequences, including rampant deforestation, erosion of soil, and a compromised capacity for climate change mitigation. In recent years, substantial portions of the Sundarbans have fallen prey to encroaching waters, rendering them increasingly susceptible to the wrath of cyclones, torrential rains, and storm surges. The period spanning from 2019 to 2024 witnessed a barrage of cyclones—Fani, Amphan, Bulbul, Yaas, and Remal—further destabilizing the Indian Sundarbans. Concurrently, the forces of urbanization and modernization have aggravated these challenges, exacerbating the significant loss of mangroves due to soil erosion. Over the past five decades, studies conducted between 1975 and 2020 have documented a steady decline in mangrove density, with an annual decrease estimated at 1.3%.” The devastating aftermath of cyclones like Amphan and Yaas has left many residents destitute and homeless, underscoring the critical importance of mangrove conservation in averting such catastrophes. Alarming statistics reveal that 52 out of the 102 inhabited islands in the Indian Sundarbans are sinking at an alarming rate. Since 1967, the Sundarbans has contracted by 210 square kilometers, and since 1904, by a staggering 451 square kilometers, resulting in island inundation. The foremost concern centers on the widespread displacement stemming from land loss. Empirical evidence and forecasts underscore the acute vulnerability of the delta region, with segments of Mousuni and Ghoramara Islands already submerged. The Sundarbans teeters on the precipice of what could potentially become one of the largest human migrations in history, with Kolkata looming as the next probable destination,” Supratim explained the threats. “Sundarbans is always my second hometown, as I have mentioned. I have covered almost each and every cyclone over there. During cyclones, the experience I got is unforgettable. I see people are moving everywhere for shelter, their home is being swept away by storm surges, their suffering to collect drinking water. I feel bad for the children of Sundarbans because they really do not deserve it in between the environmental turbulence. Their books, documents are being swept away each and every cyclone. So, there is no specific experience to be mentioned. I was born in South 24 Parganas and raised here, which is the most vulnerable district to super cyclones. So, I never faced any difficulties while working in my region. I have been among super cyclones several times to capture disasters and this journey will be continuing until the situation is restored a bit. Photography is a powerful tool that illustrates the reality and its impact on human and animal life. My long-term raw photographs capture the momentary disasters of various places, revealing the actual scenarios and the hardships the people endure. Policymakers can easily discern the helplessness of human life through these frames.” Consequently, active control measures should be taken by the government, knowledgeable citizens, and environmental workers to mitigate impending damages. While we can draw borders between states and nations to check illegal immigrants, we cannot draw a border in the air to prevent pollution from spreading. Hence, there is an immediate need to conserve our environment to make it a better living place for future generations. Each of my pictures is unique, capturing a fraction of a second with far-reaching implications. Through my work, I want to convey the fierceness of our beautiful environment and the urgent need for rapid action before we lose it forever. I hope my selection of photographs will help people understand the injuries we, as human beings, have inflicted on nature and how it is now retaliating,” wrote Supratim. “I think like any hobby or discipline, the more you practice, the better you get at it. And in the same way, the more you understand your subject which you are photographing, the better you will be able to capture what it is that you are seeing and want the viewer to see. So, my advice is to spend time within the mangroves; understand the tides, the dynamics, and how people or wildlife you are interested in are interacting with it. It’s fascinating and you will start to see the magic hidden within these ecosystems.” “If you aspire to become an environmental conservationist through photography, passion for the environment is essential. You must possess in-depth knowledge of the regions where you work and build strong connections with climate-vulnerable communities. Remember, a photograph’s beauty alone is not enough; it must also be powerful. Only then can it create a significant impact on global audiences and prompt policymakers to take action for the betterment of humanity.” Leo wrote: “With better cameras in different shapes and sizes becoming more available to everyone, you can really see the increase in diversity and quality looking through the last 10 years of the photography awards. I’d say we receive so many more drone aerial photos now than we used to, camera-trap photos and underwater. I think it’s brilliant to utilise these new technologies, especially as mangroves are tough environments to work in. Of course, these tools bring new perspectives also, and it can give us new insights into the importance of mangroves within the bigger ecosystem. When flying drones, do be careful about the impact it can have on birdlife.” “I mentioned above we are seeing so many aerial photographs, perhaps that should be a new category next year. We are also about to launch our first People’s Choice Award, a selection of 9 awesome images from this year’s submissions, which will run for one week. Please check it out and vote for your favorite and have a chance to win a signed print. Check it out on our Instagram. Our bigger aim for the project is that the awards inspires and catalyses conservation and restoration efforts of our mangrove ecosystems. We’re working hard with partners to keep raising awareness of mangroves, but in the end, we want it to directly lead to impact on the ground. So we’re looking to combine the storytelling world with the conservation and restoration world, ensuring the health of mangroves for generations to come.” The Mangrove Photography Awards is brought to you by Mangrove Action Project (MAP), a US-based non-profit whose mission is to empower communities worldwide to conserve, manage, and restore mangrove forests. Through science, training, and environmental education, they provide nature-based solutions for people and our planet.” Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
