Environmental sustainability is becoming a global concern in which everybody has a key role to play to enhance the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).

Ecological Society for Eastern Africa (ESEA) in partnership with Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation is working toward contributing to the conservation of our environment through coordinating and disseminating of ecological information, awareness and education both in high schools, colleges and universities in Kenya.

With this support the biodiversity conservation education programme was initiated by ESEA and Makini secondary school environmental club. The main aim of the programme is to build the knowledge base of the students while exposing them to tools and techniques used in biodiversity conservation; this exposure, tops up the knowledge they acquire from the school curriculum and develops their skills in conservation science hence preparing them for future careers in the conservation field.

On 8th June 2011 ESEA conducted an environmental talk at Makini secondary school. The theme of the talk was Pollution and Its impact on Environment facilitated by Mr. Albert Otieno the Education officer-National Museums of Kenya. The talk mainly focused on the types and sources of pollution, impact of pollution on human health and environment, types of biological indicators/biomonitor and what can be done to control pollution. This was to build the knowledge and understanding of the students on pollution, its impact on environment and how they can be involved in managing and addressing this issue enabling them to be responsible of their own action thus reducing their ecological foot print.
The project is ongoing and more talks and other ecological activities all geared towards building the knowledge and skills of students towards biodiversity conservation.

On the other hand ESEA through its expertise regularly conducts and facilitates environmental talks in colleges and universities. On 9th June 2011 a talk was conducted at Centre for Tourism Training and Research – WCK. The theme was Effect of climate change on wildlife conservation and management delivered by Mr. Jim Nyamu a project assistant with the African Conservation Centre.  The main objective was to provide the students with the necessary information on climate change and its relation and effect on wildlife conservation and the management challenges in Kenya. The specific topic covered were; what is climate change, its cause, effects on wildlife conservation and management and the mitigation measures the students should adapt in order to combat climate change.  Mr. Jim concluded the talk by presenting his research on how climate variation and climate change would have an impact on the elephant population and the ecosystem within Tsavo reserve.

In conclusion, building on student’s knowledge and empowering them with environmental conservation and management skills is fundamental for their empowerment and their taking charge in conservation matters.
Environmental education is a continuous process often seeing the results in future as its said "One generation plants trees, the next generation gets the shade". We cannot solve global environmental problems in a few years. Indeed, they may very well get worse before they get better; all the more reason to keep trying, to keep thinking about the shade to come.

Samuel Wakangu

Project Intern -ESEA

July 2011