The Ministry of Forestry and the department of forestry have embarked on a five-region environmental Green Clubs sensitisation campaign.
The sensitisation aims to support twenty-five communities and schools in the country. They are targeting five schools from each region and so far regions 2, 4, 5 and 6 have benefited from the package.
Speaking at a forum held in Region 2 at the weekend, the lead resource person, Mustapha Drammeh, gave the background of the project.
He said the Gambia government acquired funding from the UNDP to support the environment, and energy sector through the Ministry of Forestry and Environment.
This contract agreement is specifically designed to assist in the creation and support of environmental Green Clubs in twenty-five schools and communities, he said, adding that the project aims to achieve key outputs such as strengthening national capacity, decentralising capacity for environmental mainstreaming and managing to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change and disaster.
Mr Drammeh added that the project also aims to promote the biodiversity conservation and ensure effective management of the protected areas’ networks to contribute to poverty alleviation and reduce biodiversity loss as well as to promote use of alternative energy and energy-efficient technologies to reduce energy consumption.
In his official opening address on the occasion, the deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Forestry and Environment, Lamin Jawara, said environment has become an area of major socio-political focus during the past forty years.
Mr Jawara also said that the environmental and social spheres of life seem to be completely separated, adding that only a few researchers try to bridge the gap in studies of people’s interaction with the physical environment by both anthropologists and production scientists, including forestry and agricultural scientists.
He said the formation of the environmental Green Clubs in Gambian schools is another move to bring people closer to the environment.
Attended by school heads, garden masters and students as well as caretakers, the programme also witnessed donation of garden equipment to various schools.
