The world's mysterious mangrove forests captured in 13 striking images

Key Points:

• The 2026 Mangrove Photography Awards showcased striking images highlighting the beauty and fragility of mangrove forests worldwide, featuring rare wildlife such as juvenile royal Bengal tigers, mudskippers, and bottlenose dolphins exhibiting unique hunting behaviors.
• The overall winning photo revealed the hidden threat of "ghost nets"—discarded fishing nets entangled in mangroves near Mumbai, India—posing significant hazards to wildlife in these ecosystems.
• Mangroves serve as crucial habitats and nurseries for diverse species, protect shorelines by storing large amounts of carbon and reducing erosion, and support adjacent ecosystems like coral reefs and seagrass meadows.
• Despite their ecological importance, mangrove forests face serious threats including pollution, deforestation for agriculture and fish farming, coastal development, and climate change impacts.
• The competition also highlighted mangroves' role in providing refuge to wildlife, such as green turtles and jungle cat kittens, and their contribution to coastal protection for millions of people globally.