The Nature Photographer of the Year is a nature photography competition that celebrates the beauty of nature photography. Organized by Nature Talks, it is divided into 12 categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscape, Underwater, Natural Art, Man and Nature, Black and White, Animal Portraits, Animals of the Low Countries, Youth, and the Fred Hazelhoff Award.
This issue introduces you to the winning works of the Fred Hazelhof Foundation and a detailed introduction to the winning authors.
Boundary wall works
The two-thousand-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border stretches across some of the most biodiverse areas of the American continent. This fragile ecosystem is home to mammalian, reptile, bird and plant diversity. Many species migrate between biomes in the south and north of the continent. If the U.S. government implements its plans to build a wall along the Mexican border, they will be particularly affected. This border infrastructure will not only limit the activities of wild animals in the local area, but also destroy their habitats and interrupt the traditional migration routes they have been using. It is difficult to take photos of this project for the following reasons. Insecurity is one of the most important reasons, this area is the territory of the drug boss cartel, I have encountered some difficulties, a lot of people (immigrants) come here to visit, I have difficulty finding a safe place to set up hidden cameras, I am also facing the danger of US Border Patrol and being robbed, and extremely hot weather is another huge challenge.
The image of a wild jaguar is symbolically projected on a section of the U.S.-Mexico border. Jaguars disappeared from the United States in the last century, largely due to habitat loss and control programs aimed at protecting livestock. Building a wall would mean the extinction of this species in the United States, as only a few individuals remain.
This photo, from a hidden camera, shows a bobcat having just drilled through the fence separating the federal states of Sonora (Mexico) and Arizona (USA). Top predators like bobcats are among the first species to disappear when humans destroy natural landscapes, which has led to ecosystem impoverishment that affects both animals and humans.
A camera captured two wild turkeys passing through a fence between Arizona (USA) and Sonora (Mexico). The fences are traversable to wildlife, but the U.S. government plans to build a sturdy fence there that will affect not only the activities of mammals, but also some birds, such as pygmy owls and wild turkeys.
This photo was taken in Tijuana, Mexico. There are already more than 650 miles of separated infrastructure along the border between Mexico and the United States. These walls and fences cut through fragile ecosystems and separate areas inhabited by more than 1,500 species of flora and fauna, 93 of which are classified as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The border region is home to several species whose survival depends on an unbroken ecosystem stretching from the United States to Mexico. To date, a vast network of national parks, archaeological sites, and wilderness and nature reserves has protected important wildlife habitats and cultural resources on both sides of the border. This photo shows a hare standing near the border wall of the San Pedro River in Sonora, Mexico.
A hidden camera in Mexico captured a young mountain lion crossing from the United States to San Bernardino, Mexico.
U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border runs through one of the most biodiverse regions in North America. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warns that this impermeable barrier, associated human activity and bright light at night will have a negative impact on many endangered species. Here, a passerby approaches the border wall in Naco (Arizona).
A dead coyote lies near a border wall near Nogales, Arizona.
In Coronado National Park in Arizona, USA, a coyote looks out through a fence in a wall.
Construction of the boundary wall of the Organ Pipe National Monument in the Arizona Nature Preserve, USA.
By Alejandro Prieto
Image title: Boundary Wall Project
Category: Fred Hazelhof Foundation Award
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Full-time photographer
Alejandro Prieto was born in 1976 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. From childhood, under the strong influence of his father and brothers, he had a close connection with nature. Early on, a circus elephant playfully sucking on his arm triggered a deep love for animals, which eventually led him to become a veterinarian and zoologist. He worked in this field for many years until he finally decided to change his life path.
Alejandro Prieto's photographic journey began in 2007 when he discovered that he could combine a love of all animals with an interest in natural beauty. For the past five years, Alejandro Prieto has devoted his life entirely to photography, focusing on dealing with a wide variety of wildlife topics in a photojournalism way. Currently, he works with Arianza Jaguar AC, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the jaguars of western Mexico.