This year’s Environmental Photographer of the Year competition, an annual contest showcasing the best in environmental photography, has come to a close.

Run by CIWEM (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management), the competition is about “highlighting the impacts being wrought on our planet by its most dominant species”, which, unfortunately, is humans.

There is also a positive aspect, though, centred on celebrating “humanity’s innate ability to survive and innovate, lending hope to us all that we can overcome challenges to live sustainably”.

The photo above was taken by Tran Tuan Viet, in Vietnam’s Phu Yen region, and highlights how destructive fishing with small-hole nets is to the marine environment.

Let’s get straight to South Africa’s involvement in the competition, with Kgaugelo Neville Ngomane’s photo winning the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year Award.

Here’s the Lowvelder:

Ngomane’s powerful image of a rhino being dehorned, “Desperate Measures”, was picked from more than 4 000 international entries by the judges who commended its storytelling and photographic merit.

The judges said, “When his photo flashed up on screen, there was a sharp intake of breath around the judging room. It’s such a powerful image.”

The humble youngster, who is currently unemployed, said winning the competition means a lot, because he loves photography.

“But I don’t just want to win, I want to make a difference. It is not easy to watch such an iconic animal being dehorned. I hope this picture will make a lot of people see what we have to do to save our rhinos and it will make them support conservation.”

He was part of a group of Wild Shot Outreach students who were invited by Rhino Revolution to attend and document the dehorning of their wild rhinos on a private game reserve outside Hoedspruit.

That’s one helluva shot, and congrats to Ngomane.

Via Forbes, let’s look at some of the other winners:

A victim of #ClimateChange, this photo by photographer SL Shanth Kumar of homes battered by flooding in Mumbai won the Ciwem environmental photographer of the year 2019. A huge wave lashes at a shanty, throwing a fisherman from his home in Bandra, Mumbai, India. He’s dragged in by the strong currents but was rescued by fellow fishermen.

Remains of the Forest – Climate Action and Energy Prize – Niederzier, Germany

Hambach Forest was nearly 12,000 years old when it was bought by a power company to dig for the brown coal buried underneath. The ancient forest was once the size of Manhattan. Now only 10% remains.

Polluted New Year – Sustainable Cities Prize – Mexicali, Baja California

On January 1, 2018 Mexicali was one of the most contaminated cities in the world due to fireworks, climate change, location, industry and cars.

Water Scarcity – Kakamega, Kenya – Water, Equality and Sustainability Prize

A young boy drinking dirty water in an area affected by deforestation, risking cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and other water-born tropical diseases.

Tuvalu Beneath the Rising Tide – Tuvalu, South Pacific- Changing Environments Prize

Fallen trees lie on a beach as the waves from the Funafuti lagoon in Tuvalu lap around them. Land erosion has always been a problem for the South Pacific country and are intensifying as sea levels rise. Rising seas are on the verge of completely submerging the tiny archipelago’s islands.

All in all, a reminder of why the words and actions of a certain Greta are more necessary than ever.

To see the complete list of winners, head here.

[sources:lowvelder&forbes]