2022 Nature Conservancy photo contest winners – climate, people and nature

'Lizards and Windmills.' A vibrant Fan-throated Lizard (Sarada superba) stands guard over his territory. This lizard was photographed in the Chalkewadi plateau in Satara district, which is the site of one of the largest wind farms in this region. Researchers believe that that windmills may affect predator behavior giving a chance for these tiny lizards to thrive in this rocky plateau. © Sandesh Kadur/TNC Photo Contest

'Cleaning the Lakes'. A person cleaning the Lakes of excessive sea vegetation due to hot climate as well as waste being dumped into the lake. © Amish Jain/TNC Photo Contest

'Two world'. Aerial view of two different type of ice in winter. On the right side, the well established fast ice, a solid environment for the bears, on the left, the open water refreezing after a storm took away the ice. Sea ice being less thick than it used to be it is being more affected by the seasonal winter storm, easily breaking apart. © Florian Ledoux/TNC Photo Contest

'Making Paper'. Wastewater ponds are necessary yet dangerous. The leaking or deliberate discharging of inadequately treated water has polluted freshwater and saltwater ecosystems and has caused disease and health problems in humans, fish, plants, and other wildlife. This aerial image was taken while I was flying my single-engine Piper Warrior plane. © Jassen Todorov/TNC Photo Contest

'It's dry and dangerous out west'. Trees are glorious. Countless beautiful creatures, small and large, reside in forests. Sadly, dozens of destructive wildfires have recently obliterated numerous forests in the western United States. This image portrays the devastation caused by the Dixie fire, California’s largest single wildfire. This aerial was taken while I was flying my Piper Warrior single-engine plane. © Jassen Todorov/TNC Photo Contest

'The Tucabaca’s night'. Volunteer forest firefighter Daniel Vargas Osinaga (21) walks through thick smoke after helping to extinguish a fire in Santa Rosa de Tucabaca, a conservation valley of La Chiquitania dry forests, Southeastern Bolivia, on August 25, 2019. For nearly three months, hundreds of firefighters and volunteers worked under extreme temperatures trying to put out the fires that burned more than 5.3 M hectares. © Marcelo Perez del Carpio/TNC Photo Contest

'Between Life & Death'. Every road construction worker of Bangladesh who works in a construction site is severely damaged by there black smoke and dust! This black smoke and dust enters the workers through the nose, mouth and ears causing severe damage to various parts of their body, especially the condition of the lungs. © Ziaul Huque/TNC Photo Contest

'Rest'. The photo was taken in Greece. In the beginning, I wanted to photograph the sea landscape, as everyone does, only turned 180 degrees. What I saw turned out to be more interesting. A huge factory broke into the sea, taking the beach away from restful people. A simple, ordinary scene is very symbolic for me. Industry pushes people off the ground. It pushes more and more. We are taking more and more. © Janusz Jurek/TNC Photo Contest

'Abundant nets'. Sorting activities of fishermen’s catches in the village of Kedonganan Bali. © Komang Arnawa/TNC Photo Contest

'Faith above everything'. A man standing in freezing cold water waiting for Sun God to arrive during Chatth Puja Festival. © Amish Jain/TNC Photo Contest

'The passage of the Mayan train'. The jungle of the Yucatan Peninsula protects a great biodiversity of species. Beneath it is the most important source of fresh water in Mexico and the Mayan Train will be built here. Project that will affect the best preserved jungle in the country and the largest system of flooded caves on our planet. © Francesca Franchini/TNC Photo Contest

'The Storm is coming'. I was at Varadero beach, Cuba when I saw this huge cloud coming, then I ran to the room and brought my camera to capture it. With a lot of lightning I took
some shots of this amazing storm. In the original photo I captured the exact moment when the lightning strikes the sea, without using long exposure features in daylight. That’s it! © Giovani Cordioli/TNC Photo Contest

'Post lockdown beach'. Praia do Pontal, at Recreio dos Bandeirantes in Rio de Janeiro on the first day after the beaches lockdown. © Marcelo Paulo Silva/TNC Photo Contest

'Wildlife intervention'. As the mother is sedated, a veterinarian works quickly to diagnose and treat an elephant calf wound. The image was taken at Ol Pejeta conservancy on 20 July 2022. The image was captured in the afternoon, and I had only a few minutes to capture everything. © Marvin Mwarangu/TNC Photo Contest DM/ML