Islands are not only in the ocean.

The basic premise of an island, an isolated bit of land surrounded on all sides by an inhospitable substrate, occurs not only in the ocean—but in the sky too. "Sky islands" are the tops of tall mountains that become environmentally isolated from each other even if they are close together, geographically speaking.

The Western Ghats are a mountain chain in southwest India home to spectacular and unique sky islands. But despite being a hotspot of high biodiversity, relatively little is known about them scientifically.

This mystery has inspired India-based Prasenjeet Yadav, a science photographer and National Geographic explorer, to document the unique biodiversity and highlight the conservation issues through photography.

The peaks of the Western