Capturing Ecology – the annual photographic competition hosted by The British Ecological Society received a plethora of colourful, curious and diverse submissions this year. As always.

We were delighted to have the honour of category 4 being renamed the ‘People and Nature’ category, in our image. Furthermore, the judge of this category was People and Nature Associate Editor Dr Stephanie Januchowsi-Hartley

And now we have the results! The images are ALL amazing, but of course our favourites are from the People and Nature category. The winning image was taken by our very own Associate Editor, Nibedita Mukherjee from the University of Exeter, and the student winner is Lydia Gibson from UCL.

Here are the winning images:

 

People and Nature category winner - Nibedita Mukherjee

Man in mangrove. Kerala, India, Nibedita Mukherjee, University of Exeter
The value of mangrove ecosystems to local communities and particularly to traditional fishermen around the world is well recognised. This picture was taken during the early hours of the morning while we both were doing our respective “fieldwork”.

 

 

People and Nature student category winner - Lydia Gibson
Birds of a feather. Greater Antilles, Lydia Gibson, UCL
Bird hunting is part of rural Caribbean culture and a mechanism through which other associated forest lore and tradition – such as wayfinding and plant knowledge that can improve conservation science – are maintained. This photograph, taken in a newly designated protected area, captures the complex biological and cultural considerations of hunting threatened parrots.

 

We caught up with both winners to find out more about the images and the stories that go alongside them. Keep an eye out for these posts next week.