Paul Mckenzie (Ireland/Hong Kong) reveals the devastating implications of climate change for Kenya’s flamingos.
For the past 16 years Paul has been flying over East Africa's soda lakes, but never before had he witnessed such a scene. As he looked down, hundreds of flamingos appeared below like a scattering of pink petals over a vast sea of blue.
The beauty of this picture belies a worrying cause. Unusually high rainfall - a result of climate change - is causing water levels throughout the area to rise sharply. As a result, the mudflats of Lake Solai are now under water, as are the mudflats of a nearby lake where the world's largest population of flamingos build their nests.
Originally the flooding was thought to be the result of tectonic activity in this geologically active area, but it has now attributed to higher rainfall caused by climate change.
Ireland/Hong Kong
Paul is a semi-professional wildlife photographer based in Hong Kong. He has been photographing both terrestrial and marine wildlife for the last 25 years. Paul has travelled widely but has a special affinity for Africa, especially the soda lakes and their inhabitants in East Africa. He is widely published and a co-lead on photography tours.
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