Restoring a way of life is at the heart of this photograph by Vivian Wan, part of a series that won the 麻豆传媒 Editors Award in the .

It shows members of the Yurok community working with biologists and technicians to set up rotary screw traps on the Trinity river, a major tributary of the Klamath river, in Willow Creek, California. The team uses fish traps to check the animals鈥� health and study their migration patterns.

The Klamath basin is at the heart of Yurok life, with its rich waters providing large Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), which hold deep cultural and spiritual significance to the community. But two centuries of colonisation in the region have displaced the Yurok and depleted local resources through mining, logging and the construction of dams.

Climate change and diverted river water further pushed the salmon population to the brink. In 2002, new irrigation policies resulted in tens of thousands of Chinook salmon in the Klamath River dying. This added impetus to a decades-long fight to remove the river鈥檚 dams. Last year, the final dam on the river was dismantled.

For Wan, the aim was to explore how Indigenous communities lead the battle for environmental justice. 鈥淚 hope viewers come away with a deeper sense of respect for the Yurok people鈥檚 strength, culture and fight to protect Klamath basin,鈥� she says.

Below, Hunter Mattz, a technician with Yurok Fisheries, studies a monitor showing magnified salmon scales to gain more clues about mortality rates from fishing and natural causes. The data helps set catch limits and spawning goals, as well as forecasting run size 鈥� the number of salmon that enter a river or stream during a specific period, typically in an annual migration, which is a key indicator of the health and abundance of a salmon population.

Here, Mattz holds up a needle-thin tag, which contributes data to the fish-monitoring research programme.

Mattz oversees the Net Harvesting Project. His role involved navigating a more than 70-kilometre journey from the mouth of the Pacific Ocean through the estuary, the middle of the Klamath basin and on past Blue Creek, California. This work was crucial in collecting data on fish species caught in nets and lines by local residents. The recorded data has helped secure grants for marine conservation efforts in the Klamath area.

All winners in the Earth Photo competition were chosen by a panel including 麻豆传媒鈥檚 picture editor, Tim Boddy, and head of editorial video, David Stock. See the Earth Photo 2025 exhibition at London鈥檚 Royal Geographical Society until 20 August, before it tours the UK.

Mudlarking, once a trade of the Victorian poor, has evolved into a modern-day hobby that captivates everyday Londoners and history enthusiasts. What began as a desperate means of survival, scouring the Thames foreshore for anything of value, has become a way to connect with the city鈥檚 deep and layered past.

In London Museum鈥檚 new exhibition, , over 350 artefacts recovered from the river鈥檚 muddy banks, many on public display for the first time, are brought together to tell a remarkable story. Visitors are invited to step into the world of the mudlarks: amateur archaeologists, urban explorers and passionate storytellers who uncover fragments of daily life spanning centuries.

鈥淲hat mudlarks do is really important to preserve history as soon as it’s found,鈥� says Alessio Checconi, a palaeontologist who has unearthed thousands of artefacts since taking up mudlarking during lockdown.

The Thames is uniquely suited to mudlarking. The river鈥檚 tidal nature, rising and falling twice daily, constantly stirs and reshapes the foreshore, periodically revealing and concealing layers of history. Its anaerobic mud slows the decay of organic materials like leather and wood, creating rare opportunities for preservation. The result is a time capsule stretching from prehistoric flint tools to 17th-century shoes.

Beyond the tangible finds, what draws many mudlarks back to the river is a deep sense of connection to Britons of the past. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite incredible when we find these objects, to think that I am the first person to touch it in 4000 years,鈥� says Checconi. Each item, no matter how ordinary it might seem, holds the story of a life once lived and offers a glimpse into everyday moments. It invites an appreciation for the supposedly mundane: a clay pipe, a pin, a shard of pottery. And in the quiet ritual of searching the foreshore, Secrets of the Thames reveals not just the artefacts left behind, but the timeless human desire to be remembered. As Checconi puts it, 鈥淗istory will find a way to bring up your name.鈥澛犅�

London Museum’s Secrets of the Thames exhibition is open until 1 Mar 2026.

Looking at this braided orange river bordered by lush green, you could mistake the scene for just another snapshot of a stunning river valley. But a closer inspection reveals that all is not as it seems.

Photographer Taylor Roades travelled to the remote western Brooks Range in north-west Alaska last year to draw attention to how global warming is turning these waters not just rust-coloured, but into rust itself. The colour is down to oxidised iron, which, along with sulphuric acid, is formed as sediments once trapped in the frozen permafrost are released as the ice melts. The chemicals enter nearby tributaries, creating a concoction that is toxic for ecosystems and wildlife.

This photo and the one below show how 鈥渢he most remote places and ecosystems are being detrimentally affected鈥� by human activity, says Roades. The region, which is hundreds of kilometres from any settlement, has warmed by 2.4掳C on average since 2006.

Roades鈥檚 shots, titled Rust River, have won the 麻豆传媒 Editors Award 鈥� one of nine categories in this year鈥檚 , which showcases photos and videos that tell compelling stories about our planet. The winning entries will be on show at the Royal Geographical Society in London until 21 August.