Dead-Eyed Tiger Staring Out From Mangrove Wins Photo Competition
A photo of one of the very few tigers in the world that has adapted to a mangrove habitat has won the 2023 Mangrove Photography Awards.
The majestic big cat was captured in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, India by Soham Bhattacharyya.
It is estimated that there are only 200 of these magnificent animals in the Sundarbans mangrove forest with only 96 thought to be in the West Bengal Forest where the photo was taken.
Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in coastal intertidal zones. The trees grow in areas with low-oxygen soil, where slow-moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate. Mangrove forests only grow in tropical zones.
The Mangrove Photography Awards is organized by the Mangrove Action Project who says that less than half of half the world’s original mangrove forest cover remains.
“Photographs of mangroves and contests related to them play a multifaceted role in advocating for the conservation and protection of these critical coastal forests,” says one of the judges Fulvio Eccardi.
“They raise awareness, educate, inspire action, and contribute to the scientific understanding of these ecosystems, all of which are vital for their long-term survival and the well-being of coastal communities around the world.”
