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)

A Bengal tiger grabs a bag of food belonging to labourers at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur, India in the first decade of February 2024. The workers were cutting the grass to avoid forest fires in the area. The wild feline, watched on by its family, later dropped the bag without any harm caused. (Photo by Jignesh Patel/Solent news)

People stand next to a ship, containing tonnes of hazardous mercury-mixed oil, as it was allowed to anchor at Gadani ship-breaking yard in Gadani, Pakistan, 28 May 2021. Authorities have launched an investigation into the anchoring of a ship at the Gadani shipbreaking yard despite Interpol's warning that the ship contains dangerous chemicals. (Photo by Rehan Khan/EPA/EFE)

Photographer Khalid Alhammadi really has got his head in the clouds as he scales some of the Middle East’s tallest buildings to photograph iconic landmarks high above the rising mist. Khalid’s breathtaking shots over Abu Dhabi look almost otherworldly, with skyscraper tips and mosque towers poking through the eerie fog. Here: Night view of Abu Dhabi. (Photo by Khalid Alhammadi/Caters News Agency)

Iraqi troops fire artillery towards Islamic State (IS) group jihadists' positions in west Mosul on March 11, 2017 during the ongoing battle to retake the city from the group. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP Photo)

Masked women shout slogans during a demonstration marking the Latin American Day for Decriminalization of Therapeutic Abortion in Managua, Nicaragua, where abortions are illegal, on September 28, 2012. (Photo by Esteban Felix/Associated Press)

Ali al-Naami, convicted of murdering his three daughters, is placed on a carpet to be executed at a public square in Sana'a, Yemen, 16 June 2021. Defendant Ali al-Naami, 40, convicted of killing his daughters Rahaf, 7, Raghad, 12, and Malak, 14, in June 2019, was executed by an executioner in front of hundreds of spectators in a public square in Sana'a. He had admitted to strangling them and drowning them in a water tank after the mother left the house due to domestic disputes with him. (Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA/EFE)

A Palestinian boy dips in a natural spring to cool off during a heat wave, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), near Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on May 17, 2020. (Photo by Mohamad Torokman/Reuters)