The Incredible Ecology-Winning Nature Photos From the 2024 British Ecological Society showcase stunning visual stories of the natural world, celebrating the diversity of life on Earth. This year’s competition, open to ecologists, photographers, and students, attracted entries from 23 countries across six continents. For the first time, the competition welcomed submissions from the general public, with free entry offered to participants from Global South countries, ensuring greater accessibility. The winning photos highlight the beauty and complexity of both flora and fauna, capturing moments like Arctic terns sharing a meal and a flowering plant’s mesmerizing transformation.
The overall winning photograph, The Dragon and the Sun by Australian biologist Damien Esquerre, features a bearded dragon basking in its eucalyptus woodland habitat under the hot sun of Canberra. This powerful image reflects the serene yet resilient nature of the species. The competition celebrates not only the technical skill of the photographers but also their deep connection with the natural world. By encouraging the public and ecologists alike to submit their work, the British Ecological Society has created a platform that fosters a broader appreciation of the ecological wonders around us.
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#1. Overall Winner: “The Dragon and the Sun” by Damien Esquerre
“This photo was captured on a sunny summer day in Canberra. Bearded dragons (Pogona barbata) love to bask under the sun in their eucalypt woodland habitat. I used a fish-eye lens to capture the habitat and the sun in the composition to have a detailed portrayal of the lizard’s ecology.”
#2. Student Winner, Networks in Nature: “Fisheye perspective” by Filip Jarzynski
“The relationship between Arctic Terns and Sand eels is incredibly close. As part of my work as a warden at the RSPB reserve on the Skerries Islands, I have been monitoring which species of fish the Arctic terns bring in from the sea. The data is collected every season and can give a deep insight into the state of fish stocks. This season, the tern’s main food source were Sand eels, but later on they switched to fish from the Clupeidae family.”
#3. Student Winner, Ecology in Action: “A final survey” by Viktor Peinemann
“A researcher surveys a reef flat in the central Red Sea, with near 100% bleaching. As the central Red Sea experienced record temperatures in 2023, a severe bleaching event unfolded, leading to the death of the majority of shallow corals like those shown in this photo.”
#4. Winner, People and Nature: “A soul” by Roberto García-Roa
“It is shown here one of the “teenagers” of the critically endangered western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) that the Chimpanzee Conservation Center have rescued from poachers in the Republic of Guinea. This is the only organization worldwide with a current release project of western chimpanzees into the wild. Nevertheless, this program is in danger because suitable habitats where to release chimpanzees in nature are rapidly disappearing. Sadly, young individuals like the one in the image – his name is Simon – wait in captivity for a future where, if the trend does not change, they will have very difficult to know freedom again.”
#5. Overall Runner-up: “Lanterns” by Danni Thompson
“During a walk through the high-altitude forest in Ecuador, I came across a beautiful flowering shrub (Abutilon megapotamicum) at the edge. I spent some time photographing the light coming through the flowers and then saw this perfect branch displaying flowers at all ages. It was a composition I couldn’t resist.”
#6. Winner, Individuals and Populations (Plants and Fungi): “Early morning thaw” by Jenn Rose
“In the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, a Flammulina sp. slowly begins to thaw after a crisp November night.”
#7. Overall Student Winner: “The Glass Ceiling” by Filip Jarzynski
“A Signal Crayfish photographed at an abandoned trout farm building on a freezing New Year’s Eve.”
#8. Winner, Networks in Nature: “The hunter becomes hunted” by Roberto García-Roa
“The frenetic combat between the pompilid wasp and the spider suddenly stopped. A tense calm invaded the scene: “the calm after the storm”, I thought. At that point, a subtle but crucial behaviour for both contenders had begun. The wasp needed to confirm if its sting had paralyzed its dangerous prey before bringing it to her nest. Wasps of the family Pompilidae are called “spider wasps” because females are sophisticated hunters of spiders, which are used as a living food by their offspring. An arm race between two groups of iconic hunters in the tropical forests of Peru.”
#9. Winner, Regenerative Agriculture: “Fruit trees for future forests” by Lindsay Banin
“Village communities in Indonesia are enhancing cover of multi-purpose tree species in cleared areas to improve ecosystem health and function whilst also providing nutritional and economic benefits to local people. The picture shows an impromptu harvest of some rambutan fruits to accompany lunch in a social forestry area in Sumatra.”
#10. Student Winner, Regenerative Agriculture: “A Hay Meadow in the Swiss Alps” by Juliet Turner
“A biodiverse meadow is a beautiful sight, but the UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s. Overgrazing and excessive fertilisation degrade the ecosystem. In Switzerland, this meadow is cut only once a year for hay, giving the plants time to flower and spread their seeds”
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