From critically endangered primates to the destruction of habitats, many of the images released as part of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 competition reveal the fragile state of nature today.
Sixteen of this year’s highly commended entries have been published before the final exhibition, which is set to launch at London’s Natural History Museum on Friday, October 16.
The awards show off the world's best nature photography and photojournalism, offering a global platform for amateur and professional photographers.
Among the newly revealed highly commended photographers is Arshdeep Singh, 13, from India, for his image of a douc, a critically-endangered primate, surrounded by the lush greens of its environment, maintaining direct eye contact with the camera.
Charlie Hamilton James's image of a lone tree surrounded by the flames of a forest fire in the Amazon rainforest stands as a testament to some of the damage being done to the natural world.
The overall winners, including the Grand Title winners, will be announced on Tuesday, October 13. For the first time, the awards ceremony will be conducted online from the Natural History Museum's Hintze Hall.
Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts. This year's competition attracted almost 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across the world.
The final exhibition will be made up of 100 images, including 68 highly commended entries and overall category winners.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the 16 highly commended images.
