11-05-2025
17 unforgettable images from the Environmental Photography Awards
In 2024, fires burned more than 2.6 million hectares of South America's Pantanal biome. The wetlands have experienced a steep reduction in water coverage, making the area that stretches across Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia vulnerable to fire threats. A young tapir (Tapirus terrestris) managed to survive the blaze. Named Valente by caretakers, the tapir underwent treatment at the Caiman Ecological Reserve to heal his burn wounds.
A touching photograph of Valente (seen below) in his dressings captured by Fernando Faciole took home the top prize in the Public Award category of the 2025 Environmental Photography Award.
The 2025 Environmental Photography Awards honored images across five categories: 'Polar Wonders', 'Into the Forest', 'Ocean Wolds', 'Humanity versus Nature' and 'Change Makers: Reasons for Hope.' The competition also recognized winners for a Public Award and a Student's Choice Award.
'In the past fifty years, we have lost 73% of the world's wildlife,' President of the Jury, Ami Vitale, said. 'This stark reality underscores the urgent biodiversity crisis we face. The future of our planet is in our hands, and we cannot afford to feel overwhelmed or hope that someone else will address the problem. Continuous awareness and action are needed; conservation is not a one-day job. Photography plays a critical role in highlighting the interconnectedness of individual well-being and environmental health.'
The shortlisted photographs will be exhibited in Monaco, on the Promenade du Larvotto, from June 3 to July 31, 2025.
