Politap and IAR Hold World Mangrove Day Photography Exhibition

Located in the partnership room of Lecture Building 2 of Politeknik Negeri Ketapang (Ketapang State Polytechnic), on Monday, 23 August 2021, Politap Director Endang Kusmana, accompanied by Wendi Tamariska, Community Development Manager of International Animal Rescue (IAR), opened a photography exhibition to commemorate World Mangrove Day. This photography competition was organized through a collaboration between Politeknik Negeri Ketapang and International Animal Rescue (IAR), an NGO concerned with the environment and orangutans. The photo shoot location for World Mangrove Day was centered at the Kuala Satong Mangrove Center in Kuala Satong Village, Mata Hilir Utara District, Ketapang Regency, and was attended by the general public, university students, and school students in Ketapang and Kayong Utara Regency.

In his opening remarks, Endang Kusmana stated that this photography competition is a means to develop creative talents and interests, particularly in photography, while also serving as Politap's form of care for mangroves. According to Endang, his institution encourages various potentials in Ketapang Regency to become tourist destinations, with the Kuala Satong mangrove tourism holding great potential and a unique character of its own.

The Director of Politap continues to expand programs through the Politap Membangun Vokasi Dari Desa Program and collaborates with various parties in implementing the outcomes of education, research, and community service. According to Endang, the collaboration with IAR has its own uniqueness as it is developed within the framework of environmental sustainability, concern for orangutans, and the development of rural potential.

According to Wendi, this photography competition is a form of collaboration with Politap that will continue to be developed, particularly to elevate village potential so that it gains added value through promotion. He hopes that all potentials in Ketapang can be highlighted so that the wider community can increase their understanding and care for the environment, which will be very beneficial for the future.

Meanwhile, Maria Caroline Puspa Herin from the photography competition committee shared that the competition was divided into three categories: flora and fauna, landscapes, and modeling. The event was attended by 69 participants and took place from 17 July to 31 July 2021 at the Kuala Satong Mangrove Center while applying health protocols and photo session scheduling. The resulting photographs are exhibited at Politap from 23 to 25 August 2021 under strict health protocols.

According to Maria, the photographs will be evaluated by a panel of judges for a 50% scoring share, while the remaining 50% will be determined through votes by exhibition visitors. The voting assessment is conducted through an information system using barcodes, and the system will stop serving visitors once the room has reached its maximum capacity of 25 people.