The Blue Fig – mangroves and conservation stories winner

The Sundarbans is one of the wildest places left on Earth: a biodiversity hotspot and a complex tidal network of waterways and islands. Scientists forecast that the whole coastal belt of Bangladesh around the Sundarbans will be submerged by 2050.Helena Begium, 55, pictured, says: ‘Six months ago, during Cyclone Amphan, I lost my cattle, all domestic animals. Since then, I live in our wrecked house all alone. My children have left for the city to find a job. There is no work … we hardly get to catch fish. I have little left to eat. How am I going to survive with so much struggle, I do not know.’

Photograph: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan/Mangroves Photography Awards 2023