For Rukhiya Mohammed, the mountains of the Eastern Ghats are more than just landscapes. They are living ecosystems carrying stories of survival, loss and resilience. The photographer, who was born and brought up in Kakinada and is currently working in Hyderabad, won the Portfolio category at the Nature inFocus Awards 2025 for her photo story ‘Echoes from the Eastern Ghats’. The awards are among India’s leading wildlife and conservation photography platforms, celebrating powerful visual narratives from across the world.

Her winning portfolio documents the gradual transformation of the Eastern Ghats under mounting human pressure — from deforestation and mining to tourism projects and rapid urbanisation. Shot largely through aerial perspectives with a drone, the images reveal forests cut open by roads, hills flattened for construction and shrinking green spaces pressed against expanding cities.

Speaking about the recognition, Rukhiya says, “This project comes from a place of deep concern and love for the Eastern Ghats. I wanted people to see what is happening to these landscapes from a larger perspective.”

She adds, “Photography, for me, is about documenting change and starting conversations around conservation.” According to the award citation published by Nature inFocus, her work highlights how “human actions such as deforestation, construction, mining, cultivation and tourism” are reshaping the fragile mountain ecosystems.

Rukhiya’s journey with photography began alongside her travels and love for the outdoors. Her passion for Nature turned her into a traveller, photographer and certified scuba diver. “Growing up in coastal Andhra Pradesh made me closely connected to natural landscapes,” she says. “Over the years, I realised how quickly these spaces are disappearing. The camera became my way of preserving stories and raising awareness.”

Her award-winning work also underlines the ecological importance of the Eastern Ghats — one of India’s lesser-documented biodiversity hotspots that supports endemic flora, fauna and forest communities. Through sweeping visuals of winding mountain roads, railway tracks slicing through forests and large-scale excavations, the portfolio creates a stark contrast between development and ecological balance.

Rukhiya believes visual storytelling has the power to make environmental issues more accessible. “When people emotionally connect with an image, they begin to care. That connection can inspire responsibility and action,” she says.