{"id":5366,"date":"2024-07-27T23:32:53","date_gmt":"2024-07-27T23:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/portrait-of-storm-victim-wins-prize\/"},"modified":"2024-07-27T23:32:53","modified_gmt":"2024-07-27T23:32:53","slug":"portrait-of-storm-victim-wins-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/portrait-of-storm-victim-wins-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"Portrait of storm victim wins prize"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Supratim Bhattacharjee has been named overall winner of this year’s Mangrove Photography Awards for his image of a young girl in the aftermath of a devastating storm in Frazerganj, Sundarbans, India.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"SupratimSupratim Bhattacharjee<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Run by the Mangrove Action Project<\/a>, the competition – now in its 10th year – aims to show the relationships between wildlife, coastal communities and mangrove forests, as well as the fragility of these unique ecosystems, both above and below the waterline.<\/p>\n

Mr Bhattacharjee’s winning image, called Sinking Sundarbans, shows Pallavi standing in front of her home and tea shop, which has been destroyed by the sea during a storm.<\/p>\n

“I observed her strong face and calm nature during that devastating period,” said Mr Bhattacharjee.<\/p>\n

“Children are the ones that suffer the most.”<\/p>\n

Nestled in the Bay of Bengal, the Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world.<\/p>\n

“[The winning] image raises a thousand questions, whilst connecting you to the girl’s heart,” said competition judge Dhritiman Mukherjee.<\/p>\n

“Her vulnerability exposes the full impact of climate change and sea level rise experienced by many coastal communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mangroves are an important protection against climate change, with one acre (4,000sq m) of mangrove forest absorbing nearly the same amount of carbon dioxide as an acre of Amazon rainforest.<\/p>\n

The forests also protect coastlines from eroding, as intense storms grow more frequent.<\/p>\n

“Conservation as a story, is a complicated one,” said another of the judges, Morgan Heim.<\/p>\n

“Photography has the ability to help us receive and feel close to those stories no matter our language. Every time I look at this kind of photography, I think, there’s still hope.”<\/p>\n

Fellow judge Christian Ziegler added: “[In the competition] were many fascinating stories about life in the mangroves, ranging from scientific insights to restoration of the ecosystem and the difficult conditions people face.”<\/p>\n

Here are a selection of winning images from seven competition categories, with descriptions by the photographers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & People winner: Mud Bath Ritual, by Johannes Panji Christo, Indonesia<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"JohannesJohannes Panji Christo<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Men, women and children, wearing sarongs and traditional headgear, collect mud from a mangrove forest in Kedonganan village, just outside the town of Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia.<\/p>\n

They cover themselves as part of a purification ritual called Mebuug Buugan, where people pray for gratitude and earth\u2019s fertility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & People, Highly Commended: Sinking Sundarbans II, by Supratim Bhattacharjee, India<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"SupratimSupratim Bhattacharjee<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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The Sundarbans archipelago spans the borders of India and Bangladesh… [and] is known for its rich forest resources, which locals rely on for income.<\/p>\n

But rampant deforestation coupled with worsening storms has intensified food and water scarcity, diminished agriculture productivity and soil quality, and turned local communities into climate refugees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Landscape winner: Nature’s Ribbon, by Ammar Alsayed Ahmed, United Arab Emirates<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"AmmarAmmar Alsayed Ahmed<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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This tranquil scene invites contemplation as the gentle flow of water navigates its course through the heart of the mangrove forest.<\/p>\n

The intertwining roots of the trees form intricate patterns, creating a natural tapestry that harmonises with the fluidity of the water.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Landscape, Highly Commended: Framing the Sunset, by Vladimir Borzykin, India<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"VladimirVladimir Borzykin<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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On the rugged coast of Neil island (Shaheed Dweep) in the Andaman Islands archipelago, the tide recedes far away from the shore and exposes an extremely sharp rocky reef.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Wildlife winner: Mud-Ring Feeding, by Mark Ian Cook, US<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"MarkMark Ian Cook<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Mud-ring feeding is a unique fishing behaviour employed by bottlenose dolphins living in the shallows of the mangrove-lined bays of Florida Bay and a few other locations in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

On finding a school of mullet, a dolphin from the pod encircles the fish kicking up the sediments with its tail, which corrals the fish into an ever tightening spiral-shaped silty plume.<\/p>\n

The dolphins have a remarkable ability to know where the fish are going to jump and will snatch them from the air as they try to make their escape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Wildlife, Highly Commended: The Fire Within, by Javier Orozco, Mexico<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"JavierJavier Orozco<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Photographer Javier Orozco came face-to-face with a crocodile at El Cora Crocodile Sanctuary in Bucerias in Banderas Bay, Mexico.<\/i><\/p>\n

In the last 40 years, Banderas Bay has lost more than 80% of its wetlands to urban expansion.<\/p>\n

This crocodile sanctuary is a non-profit organisation located next to a small lagoon. The surrounding area has been taken over by shopping centres, hotels and condos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Threats winner: Mangrove Walls Broken, by Dipayan Bose, India<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"DipayanDipayan Bose<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Due to repeated tropical cyclones and sea level rise in the Bay of Bengal, river embankments have become broken by high tides across the Sundarbans, West Bengal, India.<\/p>\n

As a result, homes and farms have flooded, fisheries have become destroyed by seawater, and people have been forced to migrate.<\/p>\n

This villager has lost all his household belongings in the flood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Threats, Highly Commended: Love Entangled in Ghost Net, by Daphne Wong, Hong Kong<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"DaphneDaphne Wong<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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The male horseshoe crab tightly grasps onto the back of the female, on a mission of reproduction.<\/p>\n

They move with the rising tide, searching for a suitable place to lay their eggs. But when they reach the mangroves, they become entangled in a huge ghost net.<\/p>\n

If no one rescues them in time, they will eventually die from prolonged exposure.<\/p>\n

In Hong Kong and throughout Asia, abandoned fishing nets wash ashore and in mangrove forests, entangling many creatures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Underwater winner: Guardians of the Mangroves, by Olivier Clement, Bahamas<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"OlivierOlivier Clement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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A turtle gracefully navigates the mangroves\u2019 labyrinthine roots, seeking refuge for the night.<\/p>\n

At high tide, the water engulfs the roots and transforms the space into a haven for marine life seeking shelter and safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Underwater, Highly Commended: Kakaban Mangrove, by Purwanto Nugroho, Indonesia<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"PurwantoPurwanto Nugroho<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Mangroves act as a natural filter that can remove most pollutants before they reach the ocean.<\/p>\n

Soil and mangrove biomass have a significant capacity to store carbon from the atmosphere, helping to reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the air.<\/p>\n

The complex roots of mangroves also help bind soil and sediment, reduce erosion, and protect against damage from waves and currents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Conservation Stories winner: Symbiosis, by Giacomo d’Orlando, Indonesia<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"GiacomoGiacomo d’Orlando<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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In Demak Regency, Indonesia, the coastline has been severely eroded, and mangroves that once protected the coast have been cut down and replaced by aquaculture ponds. As a result, the sea is literally swallowing people\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n

[Demak’s residents] have realised the only solution is to restore the ecosystem by replanting the mangroves that have been cut down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mangroves & Conservation Stories, Runner Up: Together, by Raj Hassanaly, Madagascar<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"RajRaj Hassanaly<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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With the cutting of mangrove trees, it is increasingly difficult to fish, catch crabs, and protect against climate change and violent cyclones in the regions.<\/p>\n

B\u00f4ndy, a private company working in ecosystem restoration, collaborates with local communities to restore mangroves at a rural commune in Majunga, Madagascar.<\/p>\n

Together, always with a smile and in good spirits, they traverse the mangroves to revive vast stretches of isolated land.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year winner: Mangrove at Night, by Nicholas Alexander Hess, Australia<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"NicholasNicholas Alexander Hess<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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I wanted to capture more than just this young saltwater crocodile when I encountered it at low tide in the mangroves.<\/p>\n

I used the multiple exposure mode in my camera to superimpose layers onto my image of the croc’s eye, to capture more of the scene without sacrificing detail of the eye.<\/p>\n

The image gives off a slightly unsettling feeling, such as what one may experience in a mangrove, unknowing of what predators may be lurking nearby, hidden by the dense network of the mangrove.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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Supratim Bhattacharjee has been named overall winner of this year’s Mangrove Photography Awards for his image of a young girl in the aftermath of a devastating storm in Frazerganj, Sundarbans, India. Supratim Bhattacharjee Run by the Mangrove Action Project, the competition – now in its 10th year – aims to show the relationships between wildlife, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[3516,2372,1402,1170,2212],"class_list":["post-5366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-pictures","tag-portrait","tag-prize","tag-storm","tag-victim","tag-wins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5366"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5368,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5366\/revisions\/5368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}