Mauritius Student Wins Youth Photo Contest

Mevish Purmaissur is the winner of the World Wetlands Day Youth Photo Contest, for his photo judged to aptly capture the contest’s theme “Wetlands are essential for sustainable livelihoods.”

The 17-year-old wins a trip to visit a wetland of his choice anywhere in the world courtesy of Star Alliance Biosphere Connections. There are currently more than 2,200 Wetlands of International Importance, known as Ramsar Sites, around the world.

Purmaissur’s snapped a photo of a man in a wetland carrying two fish on a long pole balanced on his shoulder.

“I had decided to look for some pictures of people earning their living in wetlands. So one day I went to Mont Choisy and a man carrying two fish caught my eye and I took the photo. My grandfather was a fisherman and therefore I was motivated to use the example of a fisherman, who earns his living only in wetlands,” said Mevish Purmaissur about his winning photo.

The photo contest was held as part of a global activity for young people to celebrate World Wetlands Day 2016’s theme Wetlands for Our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods. Young people ages 15 to 24 were invited to submit entries between Feb. 2 and March 2 capturing how people make a living from wetlands.

A judging panel led by world-renowned landscape photographer Charlie Waite, together with respected photographers Paul Sanders, Katie Hammond and Carla Regler, helped to select the winning entries.

Over 500 photographs were entered into the contest. They depict the numerous livelihoods that depend on healthy wetlands, such as fishing, water transport, eco-tourism, and the craft industry.

The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention is also pleased to announce six other finalists, all of which were “highly commended” by the judges for the quality of their photos which capture the variety of livelihoods that depend on wetlands.

Source: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands