Jakarta, 22 June 2018

To promote appreciation to the biodiversity richness of the ASEAN region through the art of photography, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), with support from the European Union (EU), calls on all photography and nature enthusiasts to join this years staging of the Zooming in on Biodiversity, an ASEAN-wide photo competition.

In commemoration of the 2018 International Day for Biological Diversity with the theme, Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity, the Centre is in search for powerful photographs related to the following biodiversity areas: Coastal and Marine Biodiversity; Agrobiodiversity; Wildlife Species; Urban Biodiversity; and Wetlands and Peatlands.

This years contest, which is a major initiative under the ACB and EUs Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN (BCAMP) Project, has the overall theme Capturing the richness of biological resources in the ASEAN region.

The initial leg of the contest, held in 2009 and with the theme Biodiversity and Me, generated close to 1,000 entries from youth, amateur, and professional photographers from the 10 ASEAN Member States. The impressive selection of photographs captured not only various plant and animal species, but also photographs featuring the relationship of biodiversity with issues such as climate change, food security, livelihood, and health. These powerful images helped boost the promotion of the values of biodiversity among various audiences.

Biodiversity and Climate Change was the theme for the second staging of the event. The contest helped draw public attention to the challenge of climate change, and to the need for both global and local action to address this issue.

The third staging in 2015 had the theme Biodiversity for Sustainable Development to communicate ways on how to achieve the balance between development and biodiversity conservation. The contest is in line with the Convention on Biological Diversitys Aichi Target 1, which states that: By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably.

Cash prizes and opportunities for their photos to get published in major ACB publications and exhibits await the winners. Registration to the contest is free of charge and is open to all citizens of the ASEAN region?Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

The ACB was established in 2005 by the ASEAN Member States as a response to the challenge of biodiversity loss in the region. The Centre supports and coordinates the implementation of activities in the ASEAN leading to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, for the benefit of the region and the AMS.

For those who wish to join, visit https://www.aseanbiodiversity.org/zoomingin

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