National Environment Agency - The Gambia

The Environment Award Scheme (EAS) is one of the many programmes being implemented by the National Environment Agency's Environmental Education Communication Programme to encourage public participation in environment management. This initiative is designed to reward the efforts of both individuals and groups to improve their local environment. The Environmental Award Scheme was inaugurated in 1994 with over 100 entries, from 5 Divisions and the Greater Banjul Area. The Environmental Award Scheme is an annual competition.

The Environmental Award Schemes is designed to:
i) Increase environmental awareness through community participation and ii) Encourage the participation of Individuals and community based groups such as farmers associations, schools and vocational institutions, local NGOs and the private sector.

Objectives
The main objectives of this award scheme are to:

1. Increase awareness of the environment.
2. Promote and encourage public participation in environmental management.
3. Promote the use of environmentally friendly technologies.
4. Demostrate government's recognitions of individual/community efforts in environmental managment.  
5. Reward individuals or groups that participate in good effective environmental and natural resources management practices.