Explore the 46 winning shots from the Mangrove Phtograpgy Awards 2023, run by the Mangrove Action Project.
This year’s awards has been one of the most diverse yet, with over 2,000 entries from 72 nations around the world, showcasing the beauty and global significance of mangrove ecosystems.Soham Bhattacharyya has been crowned Mangrove Photographer of the Year with his image, ‘The Finest “Flower” of the Mangroves’, a special shot that captures the curious gaze of a young, endangered tigress in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve. In addition, winners have been selected in 6 categories – People, Landscape, Underwater, Threats, Wildlife, and Stories (a portfolio category) – while photographers under the age of 24 competed to become the Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year.
Mangrove Photographer of the Year
The Finest “Flower” of the Mangroves - Overall Winner - Soham Bhattacharyya, India
‘The Finest “Flower” of the Mangroves’ captures a heart-warming image of a young Royal Bengal tigress through the mangrove bushes of a fragile natural wonder.
“The solitary figure of the tiger, standing amidst the lush green mangrove forest vegetation, poignantly underscores the isolation it must endure in an ever-shrinking habitat”, said judge Daisy Gilardini.
Mangroves & Landscape
Emerging Roots – Winner – Cristiano Martins Xavier, Brazil
Mangrove roots emerge from shallow water deep inside a mangrove forest. Brazil is home to extensive mangrove ecosystems along its coastline, with approximately 7% of the world's mangrove area. Like in many parts of the world, mangroves face threats from deforestation, pollution, and climate change impacts, such as rising sea levels.
“As the low tide allowed me to walk through the trees, I saw this scene where the roots were partially submerged. I decided to use the long exposure technique to soften the surface of the water and transform the photo into black and white to give the scene a sinister look.”
Mangroves & Wildlife
Hiding in Plain Sight – Winner – Chien Lee, Colombia
In the mangrove forest of Colombia’s Utría National Park, a Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) is nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding branches while it perches motionless on its nest.
“As I didn’t want to risk disturbing the Potoo into flight, I photographed it with a long telephoto lens some distance away and partially obscured by the branches of intervening mangrove trees. It was only after looking through the lens that I realized there was actually a single egg.”
Mangroves & Threats
The Theatre of Plastic – Winner – Emanuele Biggi, Malaysia
A land hermit crab wanders around at night, close to the beach of Pom Pom island, Sabah, using a plastic deodorant plug instead of a shell.
“Pom Pom island is a violated paradise, where the small island and its coral reef are continuously raped by tons of plastic material coming from nearby Bornean shores, especially from Semporna city. When I found this poor hermit crab… I knew I found my sad ambassador for this terrible human problem.”
Mangroves & Underwater
A Lemon’s Life – Winner– Anita Kainrath, Bahamas
A juvenile lemon shark swims in shallow mangrove forests in the Bahamas. Lemon sharks are probably the most understood sharks in the world, thanks to over 30 years of studies by Bimini Shark Lab.
“Lemon sharks spend their first 4-6 years in shallow waters where mangrove forests protect them from bigger predators. They build friendships with other juvenile sharks and learn how to hunt. They are absolutely gorgeous, smart, curious and clumsy. Mangroves build a perfect ecosystem and are their nursery and for so many other species.”
Mangroves & People
Séphora the Clam Diver – Winner– Kris Pannecoucke, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Between river, sea and land, the Mangrove Marine Park, a fragile nature reserve in Bas-Congo, is the kingdom of turtles, manatees and women who harvest clams.
“The Mangrove Marine Park is a veritable maze of islands and channels. Women like Séphora dive up to four metres for clams. They sell skewers with clam meat in the cities of Muanda and Boma. Entire islands, like Kimwabi where Séphora lives, are built on empty shells.”
Mangroves & Conservation Stories
The Blue Fig – Winner – Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Bangladesh
The Sundarbans, which means “beautiful forest”, is one of the most vulnerable areas in the country to the impacts of climate change. It is one of the wildest places left on Earth: a biodiversity hotspot and a complex tidal network of waterways and islands that is only accessible by boat. It is a delicate ecosystem that is under pressure from human development and the climate crisis, which is threatening the ecology of the Sundarbans.
Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year
Eye Contact – Winner– Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn, Thailand
A baby Golden-spotted Mudskipper snapped on the edge of a mangrove in Samut Sakorn province, Thailand. Mudskippers are an amphibious fish and can use their pectoral fins to "walk" on land.
Click here to see photos of the runner-ups in the Mangrove Photography Awards 2023 and visit our mangrove gallery here to check all of the 2,210 entries.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.