These graceful and serene photographs pay tribute to an important yet declining ecosystem: mangrove forests. These photos are some of this year's top entries. Mangrove Photography AwardThe work showcases the beauty, diversity and fragility of mangroves, which grow in salty coastal waters in stark contrast to most other trees.
The dramatic photo above captures the middle of a mangrove forest along the vibrant blue coast of the United Arab Emirates. Taken by photographer Amar Alsayed Ahmed, the image won the competition's Mangroves and Landscapes category.
The winner in this category was another photo by Alsayed Ahmed, showing a gracefully meandering river (above). The golden mangroves dotted along the river accentuate the lush greenery it brings to the region.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for mangrove forests, which are proliferating around the world. Despite being hotspots of biodiversity and important carbon stores that help offset climate change, mangroves are under threat from factors such as logging, aquaculture and water pollution, which in turn threaten the wildlife and people that depend on them.
These include species like lemon sharks, and Gillian Morris' entry (pictured above) features a young pair photographed in the Bahamas that was highly commended in the Mangrove and Underwater category. Lemon sharks spend the first few years of their lives in mangrove “nurseries” and are one of the many marine creatures that live there.
In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, an ambitious project is underway to plant and restore coastal mangroves. Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative (ADMI) It is part of a nationwide effort to plant 100 million mangrove trees across the UAE by 2030. In 2023 alone, specially modified drones were used to distribute more than six million seeds.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
