ACB INVITES PHOTOGRAPHERS TO ZOOM IN ON BIODIVERSITY, 7,700 EUROS AWAIT WINNERS

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), June 9 (Bernama) -- The Asean Centre for
Biodiversity (ACB) is calling all professional, amateur and student
photographers to participate in the first Asean photo contest, "Zooming in on
Biodiversity".

The contest, held in partnership with the European Commission, Asean and the
Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, seeks to popularise the values
of biodiversity through photography, an ACB statement here says.

ACB executive director Rodrigo U. Fuentes said only a small fraction of the
global population, mostly scientists and environmentalists, understood the role
that biodiversity played in humankind's survival.

"This lack of knowledge often translates to the lack of care for the very
environment. There is an urgent need to popularise biodiversity and one
effective way is to use the power of photos," he said.

The contest will run until Aug 30, 2009 with a total of 7,700 Euros total
prize at stake. First prize winners in the three categories will have an
opportunity to exhibit their winning photos and attend the Asean Conference on
Biodiversity in Singapore on Oct 21-23.

The contest is open to all residents of the Asean member states -- Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam -- and the photos must be exclusive to the contest.

Entries should capture various images related to biodiversity (plants,
animals, marine life, Asean heritage parks), the benefits that biodiversity
brings to human beings, its importance, the threats biodiversity faces
(deforestation, climate change) or how biodiversity affects lives.

Photos showing initiatives to protect biodiversity resources are also
welcome.

Contest details and be obtained by logging on to www.aseanbiodiversity.org.
-- BERNAMA