While most photographers cringe at mangroves’ commonly held reputation as murky, mosquito-ridden swamps, for us this is, in Andy’s words, “Heaven on Earth.”
In this tight space, I must not touch anything — not the wildlife, not the branches, not the sea bottom. Especially not the sea bottom, as the moment a fin or a finger so much as grazes the sediment lying there, a cloud of velvety silt will envelop me and my gear, and the opportunity to photograph anything in this magnificent mangrove forest will be gone.
Mangroves are one of the most at-risk ecosystems on the planet. We’ve lost half of all mangroves in the past 50 years. If we don’t take action to address this, the remaining mangroves could be gone this century. These extraordinary aquatic trees are necessary for our shared future. We must work to protect them and support those who depend on them.