Mangrove Photography Awards highlight ecosystem beauty and threats

The 12th annual Mangrove Photography Awards have selected winners that highlight both the extraordinary beauty and the environmental vulnerabilities of mangrove ecosystems worldwide.

The top prize was awarded to Gaurav Patil for an image of a “ghost net” glowing under ultraviolet light, entangled in a mangrove near Mumbai, India. This photograph underscores a silent conservation crisis where abandoned fishing nets become hazardous traps for wildlife within these coastal barriers.

Other notable images captured diverse species and habitats, including mudskippers in the Sundarbans, a rare red heron in the Bahamas, and bottlenose dolphins in Florida. The awards also documented the gradual return of American flamingos to the Florida Bay, a result of ongoing conservation efforts and habitat restoration in the Everglades.