Description
The mangrove systems of the Belize coastal zone represent one of the world’s most ecologically productive and visually complex coastal ecosystems. This aerial photograph, made from a light aircraft at 150m altitude over the Turneffe Atoll marine reserve, captures the extraordinary visual character of the mangrove interior — the dark green canopy of red and black mangroves intersected by tidal channels of crystal-clear turquoise water, the shallow sandy seafloor visible through the water in the deeper channels. The image works simultaneously as a documentary record of a critically important ecosystem and as a strikingly beautiful abstract aerial composition in which natural forms create a perfect balance of colour and organic geometry.
