Shortlisted at Environmental Photographer of the Year 2022

Adaptation

Location: Puerto Nariño, Colombia — Year: 2022

Puerto Nariño is an indigenous town located deep in the Amazon at the clean-watered lake, Tarapoto, and the mighty and murky Amazon River.

The inhabitants are intimately connected with the environment around them; the forest, river, and lake provide everything from water to food, materials, and medicine.

But the environment is endangered by a multitude of threats including illegal gold mining, deforestation, and climate change.

The town is, however, also a case of adaptation. Each year, the river rises more than 10 meters, so the locals have long ago learned to build houses on stilts and floating logs.