Cambodian evacuation camp at the 5000 Budhi Trees Pagoda in Koh Ker ,Preah Vihear province. It’s one of the campsites where people seek for safety during the Cambodia-Thailand conflict started on July 24th.
#YLNArtistTakeover In ‘Resistance: To Live’, @rounry documents the impact of the Lower Sesan 2 dam on communities in northeast Cambodia.
Since its completion in 2018, nearly 5,000 villagers have been displaced, leaving behind homes, farmlands, and ancestral grounds. While some relocated, others chose to remain, holding on to what was left of their village despite the flooding.
The project traces both the physical and emotional divides caused by displacement, as families navigate loss, separation, and the challenge of starting over with limited resources. At its core, it is a story of survival shaped by environmental and social change.
Roun Ry is a documentary photographer based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, whose work focuses on long-term storytelling around environmental and social issues. His work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, and Reuters, and exhibited internationally across Asia and Europe.
Cambodian migrant workers cross back into Cambodia through the Ban Laem border checkpoint in Battambang province in early August 2025 amid escalating border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand.
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#cambodiathailandconflict #cambodia #thailand #cambodianmigrantworkers
At @vital.impacts , we believe storytelling plays a critical role in protecting people, cultures, and ecosystems.
We are honored to work with Smita Sharma (@smitashrm ), a visual journalist whose work centers dignity, accountability, and care for communities most impacted by environmental and human rights crises.
Smita focuses on gender violence, human trafficking, and environmental issues across the Global South. A National Geographic photographer, TED Fellow, and IWMF Fellow, her work has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, BBC World, The Wall Street Journal, and more—and has been exhibited globally, including at the United Nations.
This year, Smita is mentoring Roun Ry (@rounry ), supporting a project documenting both the loss and restoration of Cambodia’s mangrove forests.
Mentors like Smita are why this fellowship exists: to guide emerging storytellers with care, rigor, and commitment, helping them create work that uplifts communities, protects ecosystems, and drives meaningful change.
📷: @smitashrm
Celebrating (@rounry ), a 2026 Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Fellow.
Roun’s project, The Last Mangrove, documents both the loss and restoration of Cambodia’s mangrove forests—ecosystems essential to coastal life, food security, and climate resilience.
As nearly half of Cambodia’s mangroves have disappeared, coastal communities are coming together to protect what remains and restore what has been lost. Roun’s storytelling centers collective action, revealing how local knowledge, care, and cooperation are rebuilding fragile relationships between people and land.
He will receive one-on-one guidance from photojournalist Smita Sharma (@smitashrm ).
At Vital Impacts, we believe storytelling plays a critical role in protecting people, cultures, and ecosystems. At a time when environmental journalism is increasingly underfunded and frontline communities are often unheard, we exist to build meaningful partnerships that support long-term, community-rooted work.
Endless gratitude to our judges: @alessiaglaviano , @azubogu , @patkanephoto , @evgenia_arbugeva , and @kfmoran .
