A curious crocodile, scientists restoring lost balances, a crab fishing in a cave, and a water monitor navigating plastic waste are some of the intriguing winners from this year’s awards.
The winners of the Mangrove Photography Awards2022, run by the Mangrove Action Project, have been announced. Now in its 8th year, over 2,000 images were submitted from 68 countries, revealing fascinating insights into the world of mangroves, while challenging us to consider both our place in the natural world and our responsibility to protect it. Tanya Houppermans has been crowned Mangrove Photographer of the Year with her image ‘Guardian of the Mangroves’, showing a close-up portrait of an American crocodile surrounded by luscious mangroves at Gardens of the Queen in Cuba.
There were winners from 6 categories that included Mangroves and Humans, Mangroves and Landscape, Mangroves and Underwater, Mangroves and Conservation, Mangroves and Wildlife, and Mangroves and Stories (a portfolio category), while photographers under the age of 24 competed to become the Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year. The photos are a compelling reminder of the importance of mangroves for the diversity of life across our coastlines as photographers captured unique relationships and moments from mangrove ecosystems both above, and below the water line. “The Mangrove Photography Awards has become a platform to intrigue people about the magnificent ecological role mangroves play in all of our lives”, says judge Dhritiman Mukherjee.
This year’s international panel of judges were Beverly Joubert, Bertie Gregory, Octavio Aburto, Nadia Aly and Dhritiman Mukherjee. “The images from this year captivated our imagination…. giving us hope and illuminating a positive future for mangrove ecosystems”, says Octavio Aburto. Today, less than half the world’s original mangrove forest cover remains, and it has never been more important to promote the conservation of these fragile ecosystems. The Mangrove Photography Awards is “bringing a much-needed light onto the conservation of the world’s mangroves”, says Beverly Joubert.
Enjoy the selection of winners out of a total of 2,188 photos below, and to see all the entries over in the full mangrove gallery click here
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