Pictured Winning entries Wildlife Photographer Year trends — Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025: A Window into Global Health
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, culminating in the prestigious awards ceremony at London’s Natural History Museum, serves as more than just a celebration of stunning imagery. The winning entries for 2025 offer profound insights into the health of our planet and, consequently, the health of its inhabitants, including humans. Through compelling visual storytelling, these photographers illuminate critical environmental challenges and their direct impact on wildlife, ecosystems, and ultimately, human well-being. This year’s collection paints a picture of both resilience and fragility, urging us to consider our role in safeguarding the natural world.
Table of contents
Habitat Loss: A Threat to Biodiversity and Human Health
One of the most recurring themes in the winning photographs is habitat loss. Andrea Dominizi’s “After the Destruction,” winner of the Junior Grand Prize, poignantly captures the impact of logging on a beetle’s habitat in the Lepini Mountains of Italy. The image of a beetle resting on a cut log beside abandoned machinery serves as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of species and their environments. Loss of habitat not only endangers specific species but also disrupts entire ecosystems, leading to biodiversity decline. This decline, in turn, impacts human health by reducing the availability of natural resources, disrupting pollination, and increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases.
Similarly, Ralph Pace’s underwater photograph, “Survival Purse,” highlights the vulnerability of swell sharks in Monterey Bay, California, due to kelp forest loss. Researchers estimate that Monterey Bay’s kelp has declined by over 95% in the past 34 years. Kelp forests are vital habitats for numerous marine species and act as carbon sinks, mitigating climate change. Their destruction not only threatens the survival of species like the swell shark but also diminishes the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, exacerbating climate change and its associated health impacts, such as increased respiratory illnesses and heat-related deaths.
Wetland Degradation: A Carbon Sink Under Threat
Sebastian Frölich’s “Vanishing Pond” underscores the importance of wetlands, specifically Austria’s Platzertal moorlands, as critical carbon sinks. The image aims to highlight the vital role these fragile ecosystems play in carbon sequestration and biodiversity, especially given that Austria has already lost 90% of its peat bogs. Wetlands, like peat bogs, store vast amounts of carbon, and their degradation releases this carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Furthermore, the loss of wetlands reduces their capacity to filter water, leading to water pollution and increased risks of waterborne diseases. The preservation of wetlands is therefore crucial for both mitigating climate change and safeguarding human health.
The Interconnectedness of Species and Ecosystems
Several winning entries showcase the intricate relationships between species within ecosystems. Qingrong Yang’s “Synchronised Fishing” captures a ladyfish snatching prey just beneath a little egret’s beak in Yundang Lake, China, illustrating the complex food web dynamics within aquatic environments. These interactions are essential for maintaining ecosystem stability and resilience. Disruptions to these relationships, such as the decline of a predator species or the introduction of an invasive species, can have cascading effects throughout the ecosystem, impacting the health and abundance of other species, including those that humans rely on for food and resources.
Dennis Stogsdill’s “Cat Amongst the Flamingos,” depicting a caracal hunting flamingos in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, highlights the role of predators in regulating prey populations and maintaining ecosystem balance. The rarity of caracal sightings hunting flamingos underscores the delicate balance of predator-prey relationships. Maintaining healthy predator populations is essential for preventing overgrazing and other imbalances that can degrade habitats and threaten biodiversity. These healthy ecosystems are essential for human health, providing clean air, water, and food.
The Impact of Human Activity: A Call to Action
Jon A. Juárez’s “How to Save a Species,” documenting the BioRescue Project’s efforts to save the northern white rhino through IVF, serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of human activity on endangered species. While the initial transfer of a southern white rhino embryo was ultimately unsuccessful, the milestone proved that IVF could work for rhinos, offering hope for the critically endangered northern white rhino. The need for such drastic conservation measures underscores the devastating consequences of habitat loss, poaching, and other human-induced threats to wildlife. These efforts, while commendable, are often costly and resource-intensive, highlighting the importance of preventative measures to protect species and their habitats before they reach the brink of extinction.
Hope and Resilience: Finding Beauty in a Changing World
Despite the challenges highlighted in many of the winning images, the collection also showcases the resilience of nature and the beauty that remains. Wim van den Heever’s “Brown Hyena at Kolmanskop,” the overall winner, captures a brown hyena standing beside the ruins of an abandoned diamond mining settlement in Namibia. The image symbolizes the ability of wildlife to adapt and survive even in the face of human impact. The photographer’s ten-year dedication to capturing this elusive animal underscores the importance of perseverance and patience in wildlife conservation efforts. This image serves as a reminder that even in seemingly desolate landscapes, life can find a way.
Lubin Godin’s “Alpine Dawn,” capturing an Alpine ibex resting above a sea of clouds in the French Alps, showcases the beauty and tranquility of undisturbed natural landscapes. Such images remind us of the intrinsic value of wilderness areas and the importance of protecting them for future generations. These areas provide essential ecosystem services, such as clean water and air, and offer opportunities for recreation and spiritual renewal, all of which contribute to human well-being.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 collection offers a powerful and multifaceted perspective on the health of our planet. By showcasing the challenges faced by wildlife and ecosystems, as well as the resilience and beauty that still exists, these photographs inspire us to take action to protect the natural world and, in doing so, safeguard our own health and well-being. The images serve as a call to action, urging us to embrace sustainable practices, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate climate change for the benefit of both present and future generations.
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