Freshwaters

Freshwater covers less than 1% of Earth's surface, yet it holds a more than 10% of life's diversity, in rivers braiding through floodplains, lakes older than mountains, or wetlands pulsing with seasonal floods. These are landscapes in constant motion: water carving stone, carrying sediment, connecting forest to sea. Beneath the surface, an astonishing diversity of fish, amphibians, and invertebrates have evolved in isolation for millions of years, many found nowhere else on Earth. Yet freshwater ecosystems remain among the most threatened on the planet: fragmented by dams, drained for agriculture, warmed by a changing climate. This gallery gives a tiny insight into the fascinating world of freshwater ecosystems. Each image is an attempt to hold still what is, by nature, always flowing.