In the same week that the Living Planet Report issued its damning indictment on the state of biodiversity across the globe right now, Shane Gross, 2024’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year, has told Oceanographic Magazine that his winning image ‘Swarm of Life’ is about ‘inspiring hope in the face of adversity.’

It was revealed in the Living Planet Index last week that monitored wildlife populations across the globe have seen a 73% average decline in the last 50 years, with a 56% decline for marine species.

The biennial Report (produced by WWF and Zoological Society of London) delivered with it a stark warning that “the world is fast approaching dangerous tipping points” which include the potential collapse of the Amazon Rainforest and the rapid melting of polar ice.

“It’s a clear sign that we’re putting pressure on the planet’s ecosystems and increasing the risk that we reach tipping points of irreversible change, such as mass die-offs of coral reefs due to climate change, which impact both the species and people which depend on these ecosystems,” Louise McRae, a research fellow at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, told Oceanographic Magazine.

While declines in marine species aren’t as steep as for terrestrial and freshwater species, the 56% drop in population numbers over the last 50 years is “still a concerning trend” with some marine species – such as sharks and rays – showing drastic declines globally.

But while the narrative may be bleak right now, marine conservation journalist and Ocean Photographer of the Year category winner and overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner, Shane Gross believes photography gives us all a chance to tell another side to the story by ‘inspiring hope’ that leads to ‘the meaningful protection of the natural world.’

Speaking about his Wildlife Photographer of the Year winning image, Swarm of Life, Shane said: “To me, the image is one of hope.”

Shot in a pristine lake in northern Vancouver Island “on a warm summer day”, Swarm of Life captures a moment of rebirth for the natural world, depicting a ‘swarm’ of Western toad tadpoles making the migration from the safer, deeper part of a Vancouver Island lake to the “sunlit shallows” to feed on algae and other organic matter. It was a moment that Shane has described to Oceanographic as “one of the most beautiful wildlife encounters of my life.”

“There are still pristine lakes teeming with life. With the overwhelming amount of environmental problems in the world, knowing a place like this exists in 2024 inspires hope in me,” he said. 

“The stunning background and sheer number of tadpoles was astonishing. I couldn’t get over how cute they were.”

Shane was named the Ocean Portfolio Award 2024 winner at this year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year Awards in which his Wildlife Photographer of the Year winning entry, Swarm of Life, was highlighted as a standout image.

“It was meant to be a fun day of exploration with my partner, Kayla and turned into one of the most beautiful wildlife encounters of my life,” said Shane.

“Winning both the Ocean Photographer of the Year Ocean Portfolio Award and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award is a huge honour for me. But these awards aren’t about me. I’m simply a messenger for the species and habitats I photograph. 

“My sincere hope is that this might start some conversations that lead to meaningful protections for amphibians, wetlands, or any part of the natural world.”

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