Kampala — The Ugandan eco-newspaper, Tree Talk is among three final entries for the the 2005 St. Andrews Prize for the environment. It beat 247 entries from 40 countries.

The prize is an international initiative of the energy company Conoco Phillips and the university of St. Andrews, Scotland.

The award was started six years ago to support ordinary people in finding solutions to environmental problems. The final judgement will be made in May in Scotland.

"We are overwhelmed to have got this far," said Catherine Watson of Straight Talk Foundation, who entered the newspaper together with foresters Simon Amunau, Gaster Kiyinji and Sebastian Walaita.

The paper appears twice a year and sends tree seed to schools, churches and other institutions.

Watson said the paper wants every school to grow a wood lot, a call supported by President Yoweri Museveni in 2002.