An agent of the OIPR, one of the government agencies charged with managing protected land, stands next to cocoa trees inside Mont Peko National Park in Duekoue department, western Ivory Coast August 18, 2015. (Photo by Luc Gnago/Reuters)

A woman takes pictures using her mobile phone on a deserted square decorated ahead of Christmas, in Pristina on December 7, 2020, during a government-imposed curfew from 7pm to 5am, as part of preventive measures against the spread of the Covid-19. (Photo by Armend Nimani/AFP Photo)

A Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo joey with its mother at Sydney Zoo in Australia on January 22, 2021. The 28-week-old male joey, who is yet to be named, has only just begun to pop his head and shoulders out of his mum's pouch. (Photo by Taronga Zoo via Reuters)

A demonstrator skateboards in front of a burning police vehicle during a protest against a new proposed policing bill, in Bristol, Britain, March 21, 2021. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give forces in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non- violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance, with fines or jail for those convicted. (Photo by Peter Cziborra/Reuters)

Sunset at Walakiri Beach, Sumba in East Nusantenggara, Indonesia in 2019. (Photo by Aries Hendrick Apriyanto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A red squirrel leaps over a gray squirrel after the larger squirrel became annoyed with its territory being encroached upon, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Freeport, Maine. (Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)

Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

This shot, which was announced the winner by the on December 2, 2022 came top in the People and Nature category of the British Ecological Society’s Capturing Ecology photography competition. (Photo by British Ecological Society)