In pictures: How forensic science is helping tackle wildlife poaching

At first glance, Britta Jaschinski’s award-winning photo below looks like an otherworldly portrait of a green turtle drifting through luminous water.

Look closer, however, and the human trace appears: a handprint, revealed by forensic powder under ultraviolet light.

The technique, developed by wildlife crime specialists from the UK’s Wildlife Crime and Forensics Unit, can expose fingerprints, blood, bodily fluids and gunpowder residue, helping investigators track poachers and disrupt illegal wildlife trade networks.