The COBSEA Clean Beach Award

The UNEP COBSEA Secretariat is organizing the COBSEA Clean Beach Award in collaboration with government agencies among the COBSEA member countries. The COBSEA Clean Beach Award aims to promote collaboration between local governments and coastal communities in managing their beaches to ensure clean, beautiful and safe environments for beach goers as well as coastal ecosystems.

Through the 2008 COBSEA Clean Beach Awards, a COBSEA Clean Beach Award will be awarded to one beach in each of the participating COBSEA member countries. The winner of the COBSEA Clean Beach Award will be selected by a national panel of judges.

Winners will receive:

Thank you to our sponsors!

The winners of the COBSEA Clean Beach Award 2008 will be recognized regionally and will receive a plaque and a certificate.

In addition, one representative from the local government of each of the winning beaches will be invited to attend the 2^nd COBSEA Marine Litter Workshop and Cleanup Campaign in Pattaya, Thailand, 18-20 September 2008. With the help from its sponsors, the COBSEA Secretariat will cover the cost for travel and accommodation during the time of the workshop.

Who can nominate?

Local governments among the COBSEA member countries that are participating in the COBSEA Clean Beach Award can nominate beaches under their administration to be selected for the COBSEA Clean Beach Award.

Beaches eligible for the COBSEA Clean Beach Award are beaches that are:

Public, with open access for the general public; and
Located in one of the participating countries:
- People's Republic of China;
- Indonesia;
- Republic of Korea;
- Malaysia; and
- Thailand.

How to nominate?

If you are representing a local government in one of the participating countries listed above and want to nominate a beach under your jurisdiction, please fill the 2008 COBSEA Clean Beach Award Nomination Sheet and submit it to the national contact person for the COBSEA Clean Beach Award of your country. Please name your submission "2008 COBSEA Clean Beach Award". For a list of national COBSEA Clean Beach Award contacts, please click here.

Selection criteria

The winners of the COBSEA Clean Beach Award will be selected based on the below criteria and weighting system. A beach can get a maximum score of 1,000 points divided into the categories as described below. The beach with the highest total score in the country will be selected as the COBSEA Clean Beach Award winner.
Criteria and weighting:

Community action and partnership (300 points)

Achievements in community participation and involvement in promoting environmental protection, resource management and litter prevention such as cleanup and tree planting campaigns, preservation of cultural history, youth activities and partnership by government with business and with local communities.
Litter prevention (300 points)

Achievements in litter management through adequate solid waste management system and waste disposal, implementation of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) programmes and other innovative measures.
Environmental protection and resource management (200 points)

Achievements in sustainable management and preservation of native flora and fauna through availability of local management plans for the nominated beach and implementation of environmental rehabilitation programmes.
Environmental quality (200 points)

Documented good environmental conditions including considerations to water quality, beach encroachment, biodiversity values etc.

Deadline

The COBSEA Clean Beach Award Nomination Sheet with photos, videos or other documentation (see above) should reach the COBSEA Clean Beach Award contact of your country by midnight 15^th July 2008.

No beach nominations will be accepted after the deadline.

Selection of winners

A panel of judges consisting of representatives from relevant national government agencies in your country will select one nominated beach for the COBSEA Clean Beach Award based on the above selection criteria.

The selection process will include a review of the COBSEA Clean Beach Award Nomination Sheet, other submitted documentation and possibly a field evaluation in the cases where budget and manpower is available.

The national panel of judges will inform the UNEP COBSEA Secretariat of the COBSEA Clean Beach Award winner for their respective country in August 2008. The local government that nominated the winning beach for the COBSEA Clean Beach Award will be notified in August 2008.

An award ceremony for COBSEA Clean Beach Award winners will be held in Pattaya, Thailand on 20 September 2008 in connection to the 2^nd COBSEA Marine Litter Workshop and Cleanup Campaign.

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