41 Incredible Images from the 2020 MAP Mangrove Photography Awards
Jaguars in mangroves, dancing trees, and flamingos reclaiming a lost habitat are some of the incredible and intriguing images from this year’s competition.
The Mangrove Photography Awards 2020 gives us a fascinating insight into the world of mangroves from all corners of the earth. The 6th year of the competition has been the most exciting to date with new categories and four special judges; Cristina Mittermeier, Steve Winter, Octavio Aburto, and Jennifer Hayes.
The intimate relationships between wildlife, coastal communities and mangrove forests were captured by amateur and professional photographers from nearly 70 countries, as well as the fragility of these unique ecosystems from both above, and below, the water line.
Enjoy the winners and highly commended photos below out of a total of 1,122 submissions, and the Mangrove Photography Awards 2021 is open for submissions – ENTER YOUR MANGROVE PHOTOS
Overall Winner
Once Again Being a Mother – Victor H. Luja Molina, Mexico
“Jaguars in mangroves: a relationship rarely seen. This mother named “Janis” in an intimate moment with her cub, is a mangrove resident and has reproduced at least three times. Research teams have monitored jaguar (Panthera onca) populations in mangroves in Nayarit, western Mexico.”
Mangroves & Wildlife
Welcome Grin – Category Winner – Jenny Stock, Cuba
“A beautiful and powerful animal, an American Crocodile (C. porosus) in his home; the mangroves of Jardines de la Reina, Cuba.”
Lemon Pups – Runner Up – Anita Kainrath, Bahamas
“Juvenile lemon sharks in Eleuthera using mangrove-fringed lagoons and creeks as nurseries.”
Mangroves & Wildlife – Highly Commended
Mangroves & Communities
Coastal Community – Category Winner – Morgan Bennett-Smith, Papua New Guinea
“Local boys gather in front of a small mangrove-associated outcropping along the coast of Papua New Guinea. Coastal ecosystems here rely on a community-based system of conservation and protection; the local people value their ecosystems and protect them as such.”
Environmental Balance in the Bijagos – Runner Up – Ricci Shryock, Guinea Bissau
“A portrait of Ndira and Teresa of the Bijagos community in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, who are part of a women’s group who wade through water amidst the mangroves during low tide to look for oysters. The oysters are then sold or sometimes used in traditional ceremonies “
Mangroves & Communities – Highly Commended
Mangroves & Landscapes
The Dancing Mangroves – Category Winner – Harry Pieters, Indonesia
“A unique mangrove sunset scene along Walakiri Beach in East Sumba, Indonesia where the trees sway across a stretch of white sand.”
Mangroves from the Air – Category Runner Up – Chris Scarffe, Madagascar
“The mangroves and meandering rivers of northwest Madagascar from the air in early morning light, with the dramatic, volcanic island of Nosy Komba in the background.”
Mangroves & Landscapes – Highly Commended
Mangroves & Threats
Mangrove & Bulldozer – Category Winner – Matthew Potenski, Bahamas
“I took this split shot of a sand spit being built across a shallow lagoon. By the next day the mangrove shoot pictured was buried under piles of fill. This development had no building permits and is indicative of how projects can move forward and do damage without any legal authority.”
The Real ‘Man Vs Wild’ aka ‘Live and Let Live’ – Runner Up, Vidyasagar Hariharan, India
“The remaining mangroves in Mumbai are under threat. Here flamingos are seen feeding in a wetland with the reflection of the buildings, a grim testimony of the struggle and loss of habitat these birds are facing.”
Mangroves & Threats – Honorable Mentions
Mangroves & Conservation
Sea of Pink – Category Winner – Pratik Chorge, India
“With reduced human activity this year, a record number of flamingos made the journey across to Mumbai, India. Talawe Wetlands was given an extra pink spectacle after microscopic algae and bacteria mixed with the rising humidity and turned parts of the water pink.”
Rangers and Fishermen on Pate Island – Runner Up, Roshni Lodhia, Kenya
“Rangers on Pate Island, Kenya, are tasked to patrol the mangrove areas for illegal mangrove logging. ‘We as crab fishermen, we couldn’t fish here because the illegal loggers used to be here. But the PMCC (Pate Marine Community Conservancy) rangers have chased them away so we can catch crabs again.’”
