{"id":28866,"date":"2025-07-28T07:37:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T07:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/28866\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T07:37:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T07:37:19","slug":"the-winners-of-the-2025-mangrove-photography-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/28866\/","title":{"rendered":"The Winners of the 2025 Mangrove Photography Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Photo credits: Mark Ian Cook (left) and Mohamad Hud Zaqwan Mohamed Saufi (right). <\/p>\n

The winners of the 2025 Mangrove Photography Awards have been announced, highlighting these unique and fragile ecosystems. <\/p>\n

Today is World Mangrove Day, and the Mangrove Action Project is marking it with this fantastic competition, which has been won by Mark Ian Cook with his photo, \u2018Birds Eye View of the Hunt.\u2019<\/p>\n

At first glance, the scene of Roseate Spoonbills gliding over a lemon shark hunting mullet in the mangrove-lined waters of Florida Bay may give the appearance of a peaceful and balanced
habitat. But Cook\u2019s aerial shot documents what could be the last of the Everglades\u2019 iconic birds, whose very health and survival are intrinsically linked with the health of the Everglades.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/a>A flock of Roseate Spoonbills glide over a lemon shark hunting mullet in the shallow, mangrove-lined waters of Florida Bay. Overall winner. | Mark Ian Cook <\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, Florida Bay was the primary nesting region of the Roseate Spoonbill in the US, but this species is becoming increasingly rare there as sea level rise negatively impacts their important mangrove foraging habitat,\u201d Cook says. <\/p>\n

\u201cSpoonbills are tactile foragers, meaning they feed by touch. However, for this foraging method to be successful, the birds need relatively shallow water with very high densities of fish. This becomes particularly critical during the energetic bottleneck of the nesting season.\u201d <\/p>\n

Wildlife \"Aerial<\/a>Blue-winged Teal create ephemeral artwork as they dabble for food in the chai-coloured shallows of Florida Bay, Florida. Winner of the Birds category. | Mark Ian Cook \"Three<\/a>In the Jazan region, mangrove trees are vital coastal habitats that provide a rich food environment for migratory flamingos. These birds feed on algae and small invertebrates like crustaceans and plankton in the shallow waters. The mangroves offer a safe refuge, shielding them from disturbances and predators\u2014making them an ideal rest stop during migration and a key contributor to biodiversity along Saudi Arabia\u2019s coastlines. Runner Up in the Birds category. | Ibrahim Alshwamin \"Two<\/a>Moment two Collared Kingfishers fight near a mangrove forest fringe. Highly Commended in the Bird category. | Mohamad Hud Zaqwan Mohamed Saufi. \"A<\/a>A Pacific Reef Heron hunts a school of fish from a mangrove branch in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Highly Commended in the Bird category. | Nicholas Hess \"A<\/a>A young proboscis monkey enjoys an avicennia fruit amidst the dense mangrove forest. Winner of the Mammals category. | Satwika Satria <\/a>Sundarbans is a challenging place because Tiger territories keep submerging into water every six hours according to the moon cycle. While there is a myth among people that Tigers do not do scent\/territory markings here because they lose the mark in water very quickly, I was lucky to photograph this rare behavior in mangroves. The funny part was that the entire urine went on the subadult Tiger\u2019s face. Runner Up in the Mammals category. | Trikansh Sharma \"A<\/a>In the heart of the Sundarbans, the elusive Jungle Cat awakens with a powerful yawn \u2014 revealing nature\u2019s sharp edge amid the tangled roots and tidal waters of the mangrove wilderness. Highly Commended in the Mammals category. | Tanmoy Das Karmakar
\n \"Long-exposure<\/a>The dance of a colony of fireflies painting trails of light across a mangrove apple tree in the dark as captured by a long exposure. The trails gathering around this particular tree shows the fireflies\u2019 affinity for the particular tree, with only a few individuals venturing away briefly before turning back. Winner of the Other Species category. | Christian M\u00f8ldrup Legaard \"A<\/a>A male Fiddler Crab performing a signal dance in the mud at sunset. Runner Up in the Other Species category. | Javier Aznar Gonz\u00e1lez De Rueda \"A<\/a>Amid the tangle of mangrove roots on Havelock Island in the Andaman archipelago, India, a mudskipper rests between the arching roots of a Rhizophora mangrove tree. Perfectly adapted to an amphibious life, mudskippers use their pectoral fins to \u201cwalk\u201d on land, while their protruding eyes scan both sky and water for predators. Thriving at the edge of two worlds, these remarkable fish are synonymous with the mangrove ecosystem. Highly Commended in the Other Species category. | Vydehi Kadur \"Two<\/a>A pair of American Crocodiles sit before The Milky Way Galaxy in a mangrove forest in the Florida Everglades. Highly Commended in the Other Species category and Winner of the Young Photographer competition. | Nicholas Hess Threats \"A<\/a>Not far from Bali\u2019s airport and tourist beaches, I came across this mountain of waste towering behind one of the island\u2019s struggling mangrove forests. Young shoots rise while dead trunks mark where others failed. The scene is a quiet warning\u2014of resilience under threat and of what lies just out of frame in paradise. I took this photo to show the uneasy edge where mass tourism, urban waste, and vital ecosystems collide. Winner of the Threats category. | Tom Quinney \"Two<\/a>A poignant reminder of the dangers lurking in our coastal ecosystems: multiple horseshoe crabs find themselves ensnared in a ghost net that became stuck within the mangroves, highlighting the urgent need for action against marine debris, both in the ocean and on our coastlines. Runner Up in the Threats category. | Daphne Wong Landscape \"A<\/a>A solitary mangrove tree curves gracefully above a smooth, glass-like sea\u2014captured in long exposure, evoking a final, quiet gesture of endurance. Winner of the Black & White category. | Vladimir Borzykin
\n \"A<\/a>A fisherman is fishing in the river Matla during the low tide. Runner Up in the Black & White category. | Rajesh Dhar \"A<\/a>The harmonious blend of mangrove nature with the modernity of the city \u2014 a captivating contrast where urban innovation meets the timeless rhythm of the wild. Winner of the From the Air category. | Ahmed Badwan \"Aerial<\/a>Aerial image taken from a helicopter of a tannin stained tidal creek and mixed mangrove community, NSW north coast. Runner Up in the From the Air category. | Stuart Chape \"A<\/a>A stunning view of the Milky Way unfolds above a landscape where mangrove trees and forests blend in perfect harmony. Winner of the On the Ground category. | Gwi Bin Lim \"A<\/a>Photo taken at the seashore of Trawangan island, Indonesia, during sunset time. Runner Up in the On the Ground category. | Hoang The Nhiem People \"A<\/a>The otters get their reward for a busy morning of fishing. Winner of the Livelihoods category. | Freddie Claire \"Two<\/a>Bakhawan Eco-Park in Kalibo, Aklan is a powerful story of nature\u2019s revival and community resilience. Once a polluted shoreline, it has transformed into a thriving 220-hectare mangrove forest\u2014protecting against climate threats and sustaining local livelihoods. This award-winning eco-park now stands as a symbol of hope, where families like the father and son in this photo enjoy the bounty of restored ecosystems. Runner Up in the Livelihoods category. | Danilo O. Victoriano Jr.
\n Underwater \"A<\/a>While Clibanarius taeniatus is one of Australia\u2019s more common hermit crab species, very little is known about it and I\u2019m not sure it even has a common name. Winner of the Underwater category. | Alex Pike \"A<\/a>Half and half scene of mangroves, cardinalfish, and ghost net, Indonesia. Runner Up in the Underwater category. | Renee Capozzola \"A<\/a>A juvenile blacktip reef shark swims in its mangrove lagoon nursery in Palau. Highly Commended in the Underwater category. | Kiliii Yuyan Emirates Award \"A<\/a>A serene morning kayak journey through the lush mangroves on one of Abu Dhabi\u2019s tranquil islands \u2014 where nature whispers in stillness, and sunlight dances gently on the water\u2019s surface, creating a scene of pure harmony. Winner of the Emirates Award. | Ahmed Badwan \"A<\/a>An aerial view from Reem Island where mangrove roots nourish the land, and skyscrapers rise\u2014reflecting a city that breathes with nature. Runner Up for the Emirates Award. | Salem Alsawafi <\/p>\n

Mangroves are ecological powerhouses. They sequester up to five times more carbon than terrestrial forests, protect over 15 million people from flooding, support the livelihoods of millions of fishers and coastal communities, and provide vital habitats for countless marine and terrestrial species.<\/p>\n

Despite these widespread benefits, 50% of the world\u2019s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse by 2050, due to urban development and deforestation. More info can be found on the Mangrove Action Project website. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo credits: Mark Ian Cook (left) and Mohamad Hud Zaqwan Mohamed Saufi (right). The winners of the 2025…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28867,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75,22727,17471,2238,8182],"class_list":{"0":"post-28866","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-mangroves","16":"tag-naturephotography","17":"tag-photocompetition","18":"tag-wildlifephotography"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}