Stunning images highlight fight to save Earth’s rich biodiversity 

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Stunning images highlight fight to save Earth’s rich biodiversity 

A tropical flat-faced longhorned beetle from Malaysia.

Kim Hui Yu

“It looked strange, like an alien, but it wasn't angry. It sat motionless on the branch the whole time,” said Kim Hui Yu, who photographed the flat-faced longhorned beetle above during a family trip to Gunung Jerai on Malaysia's west coast.

Light bulb in mosquito the net attracted invertebrates overnight. In the morning she chose the brightest one for the photo. “I want people to know that all creatures, even small ones, matter. So don't destroy the forest.”

Photo entitled Strangeris one of eight inbiodiversity exhibition at the Natural History Museum 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year The exhibition opens in London on October 17. Images belong to previous contest participants.

The exhibit also includes a table of biodiversity levels as measured by the Biodiversity Intact Index, created by museum researchers.

Image by Hilary O'Leary A four-month-old black rhino calf was found dehydrated and lost in the African bush. Black rhinoceroses are known to hide their young. Here, the evidence suggests that a white rhino bull stumbled upon a hidden calf, which then mistakenly followed the bull. The boy is raised in as wild a environment as possible, with minimal human intervention. But he will need protection and feeding until he is two and a half to three years old, when rhinos usually become independent from their mothers. Hilary was on her way to work one morning when she spotted a calf among a group of anti-poaching scouts preparing for the day ahead. “Like he was part of the team?” she says, “reminding us why we must fight hard to save his species.” The black rhinoceros is endangered. Poaching for the international rhino horn trade led to a dramatic 98 percent decline in rhino numbers between 1960 and 1995 and remains the greatest threat to the species. Rhinoceros horn is sought after mainly for traditional (and more recently modern) Chinese medicine and for decorative use (for example, dagger handles in some Middle Eastern countries). Understanding the power of photography to convey a message, Hilary captured this small moment that tells a very big story.

Four month old black rhinoceros calf

Hilary O'Leary

Hannah McCartney, who runs the competition, says the images can have a powerful impact – the goal is to get visitors to pay enough attention so they later take action. A striking example is Innocence Betrayed Hilary O'Leary with a 4 month old black baby rhinoceros a calf sniffs an anti-poaching scout. He was found lost in the bushes.

Photography by Mark Graf With the sun shining on the mountaintops, Mark set out on a hike in hopes of capturing some atmospheric sunset shots. The lower slopes were shrouded in thick clouds, but as they climbed they cleared up. At the end of the day, Mark looked down at the “world wrapped in cotton wool,” at the soft evening light filtering through the fog. Berchtesgaden is the only national park in the German Alps. It protects more than 200 square kilometers of forest, valleys, glaciers and mountains. One of the wildest places in Central Europe, it is home to red and roe deer, marmots, chamois and mountain goats. Golden eagles also nest there, on their northern border in the European Alps.

Berchtesgaden National Park in the German Alps.

Mark Graf

High and wild Mark Graf takes a completely different approach to what we stand to lose. This photo trees and rocks emerging from sunlit clouds were filmed in Berchtesgaden, a national park in the German Alps.

Image by Jaime Culebras Jaime had hoped to see this particular species of harlequin toad while working with a conservation group. The couple he found were in amplexus? mating behavior in which the male fertilizes eggs released from the female's body. and may have remained so for several weeks. To catch toads? rich colors and patterns, Jaime carefully placed the flashes around the branch. The species pictured may survive, but like many amphibians, it is vulnerable to a fungal disease that affects the superficial layers of its skin. This fungus has contributed to most species of harlequin toad becoming endangered or extinct. It is encouraging that monitoring and land conservation are now increasing the toad's chances of survival.

An intimate moment between harlequin toads

Jaime Culebras

Jaime Culebras Happy couple zooms inHarlequin toads mating in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park, Colombia. Most species of harlequin toads are endangered.

Lord Howe Island and its surrounding waters support the southernmost tropical coral reef in the world. The unique combination of tropical and temperate species and habitats is the result of the convergence of currents. More than 318 species of seaweed are found here, 47 species (15%) are endemic. The unique seagrass reefs of the southern lagoon are a unique feature of the Lord Howe Island marine ecosystem that a marine ranger is exploring.

Sea Ranger Caitlin Woods off the coast of Lord Howe Island.

Justin Gilligan

Rich Reflections To Justin Gilligan was photographed off Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand. Diver among extraordinary algae — Sea Ranger Caitlin Woods.

Image by Morgan Heim Morgan Heim (USA) shows an intimate encounter between a beetle and a rabbit. Morgan set up camera traps near pygmy rabbit burrows in the Columbia Basin in Washington state to monitor their comings and goings. She was delighted to capture the moment one of the rabbits sniffed a stink bug hiding in its hole. Apparently, the beetle did not feel threatened by the owner of the hole, since usually, when frightened, it raises its abdomen and emits a stench. The pygmy rabbit is the only native North American rabbit that digs burrows, which Morgan discovered provide shelter for many other species, including stink bugs, pygmy short-horned lizards and chipmunks. As their home in the Columbia Basin became increasingly subject to overgrazing and agricultural clearing, conservation efforts were required to protect these rabbits. Now, thanks to the introduction of captive-bred individuals, vaccination against infectious diseases and protection of the shrub-steppe habitat, the population of pygmy rabbits in the basin is about 150 individuals and continues to grow.

Interspecies confrontation

Morgan Heim

A close encounter between a pygmy rabbit and a stink bug – one of the many species that use rabbit holes – was captured in Companions in the hole To Morgan Heimin the Columbia Basin, Washington.

Image by Owen Hearn Harvest time at Owen's grandparents? The farm attracts birds of prey to feed on the escaping small mammals and also attracts Owen, camera at the ready. “I couldn’t miss the moment when I saw this red kite with a plane in the distance.” says Owen. This shot is symbolic for him for two reasons. The picture was taken in the center of Bedfordshire, which was chosen in the late 1960s for London's third airport. “Opposition to the planned airport prevented it from going ahead, so today I can photograph wildlife on the farm.” At the same time, British red kites were also on the brink of extinction after centuries of persecution. But after reintroduction, their numbers increased dramatically, spreading east from the Chilterns.

The red kite has flown away in the UK

Owen Hearn

Flight paths Owen Hearn juxtaposes a close-up of a red kite with the distant outline of an airplane. The photo was taken at a site in Bedfordshire in the UK that was once intended to be London's third major airport. Although red kite recovery is a success story, the UK one of the most nature-poor countries in the world” says McCartney.

Laurent Ballesta (France) dives in sub-zero temperatures to reveal the diversity of life under the ice of Antarctica. Living towers of marine invertebrates decorate the seabed off Adélie Land, 32 meters below the ice of East Antarctica. At the center, a tree-shaped sponge is filled with life, from giant tapeworms to starfish. Antarctica's extreme conditions, as well as its isolation, are responsible for its remarkable underwater biodiversity. It is estimated to be home to around 17,000 species of marine invertebrates, many of which are found nowhere else in the world and are well adapted and therefore vulnerable to warming water temperatures.

Life under the ice off the coast of Antarctica

Laurent Ballesta

Laurent BallestaPyramid of Life the range of organisms shown below Sea ice of East Antarcticaincluding giant tapeworms and starfish.

The winners of the competition will be announced on October 14.

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