Photo competition winners capture effects of climate change in the UK

This year’s National Parks Photo Competition is themed around climate change

Porlock Marsh in Exmoor National Park by Shaun Davey (Shaun Davey/Campaign for National Parks)

In the run up to COP26, the UK’s Campaign for National Parks organisation has published a series of climate-change themed photos captured by members of the public.

The shortlist of beautiful and thought-provoking images of Britain’s national parks were inspired by this year’s CNP competition theme, ‘documenting climate change’.

This inspired amateur photographers to capture natural beauties such as the endangered curlew, dramatic flooding in the Lake District and unusually heavy snowfall in the North York Moors.

One shortlisted image by Tanith Harwood showed a glinting pile of litter in a cave in the Brecon Beacons.

The overall winner was Shaun Davey, who captured the above shot of Porlock Marsh in Exmoor National Park, which was flooded by storms in 1996 and left as wetlands.

“We will have difficult decisions to take as the effects of climate change are felt, and Porlock Marsh is an example of how such changes can be managed successfully,” said Davey.

Stonechat in New Forest National Park by Fletcher Foot aged 14 (Fletcher Foot/Campaign for National Parks)

“The marsh is now an outstanding location for photographers, walkers and birdwatchers. The image shows a sunset across the flooded marsh at high tide - the breach is clearly visible beyond the more distant tree.”

Fletcher Foot was named Young Photographer of the Year for his image of the New Forest National Park, while a public vote selected Simon Walkden’s image of the Peak District National Park for the People’s Choice: Best Phone Photo award.

Foot, aged just 14, says of his photo: “The stonechat and its bright orange colours on its chest really stand out. But the dried gorse which it is perched on connects to climate change and the hotter temperature.”

Walker’s smartphone-captured photo shows an orange-jacketed walker perched on a cliff in Hope Valley, in the Peak District National Park.

Tony Watson’s snap of the Lake District came in as a runner up (Tony Watson/Campaign for National Parks)

Meanwhile, runner up Tony Watson portrayed water shortages at Haweswater in the Lake District with a sweeping wide-angle shot.

“The competition was designed to get people thinking about what climate change looks like in National Parks,” said CNP’s Campaigns and Communications Manager Laura Williams.

“We were blown away by the range of images documenting both the devastating impact of the climate crisis, but also solutions to this.

“We didn’t want to be the only ones to benefit from seeing the shortlist and hearing the stories behind the images as told by the photographers, so we are sharing it with you too.

“A massive thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to all those shortlisted.”