BANC D’ARGUIN NATURAL RESERVE: Since he was old enough to climb into a boat, Samata Mahmoud has been fishing the vast, dune-lined waters of Mauritania’s Banc d’Arguin bay, living a centuries-old lifestyle threatened by climate change and overfishing. Mahmoud is a member of the Imraguen fishing-based community, a desert people who have spent centuries developing practices in harmony with nature, living in the area where the Sahara meets the Atlantic. At the first light of dawn the village of Iwik stirs to life, white sails unfurling across the bay’s calm waters.

Since he was old enough to climb into a boat, Samata Mahmoud has been fishing the vast, dune-lined waters of Mauritania's Banc d'Arguin bay, living a centuries-old lifestyle…

BANC D’ARGUIN NATURAL RESERVE: Since he was old enough to climb into a boat, Samata Mahmoud has been fishing the vast, dune-lined waters of Mauritania’s Banc d’Arguin bay, living…