The mangroves of Colombia’s Pacific coast harbour a rich bounty of clams, which the poverty-stricken piangueras harvest
amid the heat and mud in order to make a few pesos. But the clams are become increasingly scarce, putting the collectors’ meagre livelihoods at risk.
Morning light oozes through the doorway and window of mari Garcia’s small wooden cottage, quickly followed by the odour of the refuse that has been washed under the hut by the sea. The sky is cloudy in the Colombian coastal town of Tumaco and the air is still cool; later, it will be hot and heavy with moisture.