The Best 17 Photos From The "2020 BigPicture Natural World Photography" Competition

When the California Academy of Sciences announced their 2020 BigPicture Natural World Photography competition, the main idea was to “both celebrate and illustrate the rich diversity of life on Earth and inspire action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery”. And competitors definitely managed to grasp it.

"Traditionally, the Samburu women of northern Kenya are married off at a young age without an education, let alone a chance to work. But as the first female head keeper of the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in the remote Mathews mountain range, Sasha Dorothy Lowuekuduk is breaking new ground. Though she and the women who work for her encounter resistance, the team at Reteti is united in its mission to rescue abandoned elephant calves, nurse them back to health, and reintroduce them to the wild. It requires vigilance and round-the-clock care, but Lowuekuduk's passion for saving these 200-plus-pound babies knows no bounds. In a world where we focus only on the challenges and things that divide us, it's important also to talk about the solutions." Aquatic Life, Finalist: 'The Green Iguana' By Lorenzo Mittiga.