05/08/2026
A glowing ghost net, tangled in mangrove roots on the tide-swept shore of Nandgaon village, Maharashtra, near Mumbai 🌊 — that's the winning image of this year's Mangrove Photography Awards, captured by Indian photographer Gaurav Patil.
Shot under 13 seconds of ultraviolet light, the photo tells a quiet but urgent story: discarded fishing nets are washing into mangrove forests and turning these vital coastal guardians into hidden pollution hotspots.
Mangroves are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth 🌳 — protecting coastlines from storms, nurturing marine life, and locking away carbon that helps fight the climate crisis. Yet they face growing threats from plastic pollution, coastal development, and habitat loss.
This year's awards powered by Mangrove Action Project (MAP) drew over 5,200 entries from 87 countries, with several winning shots from right here in Asia — from the tigers and jungle cats of India's Sundarbans to mudskippers on its tidal flats.
Protecting mangroves means protecting people, wildlife, and our climate future 💚