Palm-oil survivors

Aaron Gekoski's Image

Bertie looked on as a herd of Asian elephants picked their way through a cleared oil palm plantation. With the light fading fast he quickly shot the four majestic mammals, reflecting on how they ‘huddled together, dwarfed by a desolate and desecrated landscape’.

In Sabah, the palm-oil trade is a main driver for deforestation. It destroys habitats, squeezing elephants out of the forest and into plantations. As reports of elephants being poisoned or shot by plantation workers become increasingly common, Asia must face one of its largest conservation challenges – mitigating human–elephant conflict.


Behind the lens

Aaron Gekoski

Aaron Gekoski

UK

Aaron has been a photojournalist and filmmaker for more than 15 years. Travelling the globe to report on our complex relationship with wildlife, he’s covered issues from the illegal wildlife and pet trade to deforestation, marine conservation and wildlife tourism. His images have appeared in dozens of global publications and books, and he’s produced or featured in more than 100 short- and long-form documentaries. His films have been acquired by Al Jazeera, Apple TV, Sky, Amazon, National Geographic and others. His documentary Eyes of the Orangutan is currently being shown on National Geographic and his newest documentary Dethroned premiered this summer.

Image details

  • Nikon D700
  • 80–200mm f2.8 lens at 120mm
  • 1/500 sec at f3.2
  • Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia
Copyright in WPY competition photographs remains the property of the respective photographers. You may not copy, share, reproduce or republish the photographs except as expressly permitted by copyright law. For media image usage enquiries, please contact us.

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