The impact of discourse and strategy on practice in the environmentalist movement

Abstract

This dissertation looks at a Maltese environmental non-governmental organisation (ENGO) - the Gaia Foundation - which primarily specializes in an integrated approach to coastal management. Founded in 1994, the organisation is rather small; a point which was made clear by most of the members. Nevertheless, it has still managed to project a considerably large presence in the field of the environment and environmental policies - evidenced in the fact that it manages two of the most ecologically important coastal areas on the Island. Correspondingly, from an anthropological perspective, this dissertation seeks to explore how the organisation operates within the Maltese context.