A rich natural forest is the dream of every forester. Such forests are special biodiversity reserves, probably with the special plants or animals that we will use as food or medicine in the future. (Photo: August Temu)
It’s time to review forestry education
Training of the future forester has to take into account local livelihoods, environment and climate change By AUGUST TEMU
D
espite their small number in public and private institutions, foresters play crucial roles in conserving natural resources, biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem functions.
At the local level, forests and tree resources provide wood, other fibre products, fuel wood, water, bush meat, honey and fodder for livestock and wildlife. At the landscape and global level, forests and trees are major assets and means to
Table 1: Development of forestry education in eastern Africa
Country and name of institution
climate change mitigation and adaptation Yet, foresters are probably only mentioned when the landscape is damaged or in connection with scandals involving forest products. This is the paradox for a profession that impacts so much on the everyday life of everyone and yet it is invisible and seriously under-invested. One of the reasons for the invisibility of forestry is that the sector is quite small relative to other sectors, and its contribution to the economy is grossly underestimated. For instance, forestry education graduates in East Africa are fewer than those for a single country like Germany.
Year established
Programmes taught
Ethiopia: Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University
1978
Vocational and technical training only until the 1990s, then forestry related degree programmes evolved - BSc General Forestry; BSc Forest Products Processing and Utilization; BSc Agroforestry and Soil Management; BSc Natural Resources Economics and Policy; and BSc Ecotourism and Cultural Heritage Management. There are five active MSc programmes and two PhD programmes
Kenya: Kenya Forestry College Londiani
1956
Training forest rangers, certificate and diploma. Also runs short courses.
History of forestry education
Kenya: School of Natural Resource Management at Chepkoilel College of Moi University
1976
Started at University of Nairobi and was transferred to Moi University in 1984. Bachelor degrees are offered in Forestry, Wood Science and Industrial Processes and Agroforestry and Rural Development. Masters programmes are in Forestry and Wood Science. Students may register for PhD in Forestry. A number of other Kenyan universities have natural resource and environment programmes that touch on forestry.
Tanzania: The Forestry Training Institute (FTI) Olmotonyi
1937
Two-year course for forest rangers, three years Diploma in Forestry. Also runs in-service training courses.
Tanzania: Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Sokoine University of Agriculture
1973
BSc Forestry, BSc Wildlife Management and BSc Tourism Management. Three MSc programmes - MSc Forestry, MSc Wildlife Management and MSc Management of Natural Resources for Sustainable Agriculture. PhD programmes are available in all the above areas.
Uganda: Nyabyeya Forestry College
1931
Certificate and diploma courses in forestry and agroforestry. Also runs short training courses for serving foresters.
Uganda: Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Makerere University
1970
BSc Forestry, BSc Community Forestry, and BSc Wood Science and Technology. Graduate programmes include MSc Forestry, MSc Agroforestry and PhD Forestry/Agroforestry.
Formal forestry education in tropical Africa can be traced back to the colonial era. Vocational and technical forestry training (offering certificate and diploma qualifications, respectively) were established as early as the 1930s through to the 1950s. For instance, the Ivory Coast Forestry School was established in 1938 and the Technical Forestry School in Cameroon in 1949. At independence, the young African nations agreed to share the costs of establishing professional forestry education, so a regional approach was adopted in some parts of the continent. Thus, the College of Forestry in Monrovia, Liberia 1955; the Department of Forestry at Ibadan University in Nigeria, 1963; and Makerere University, Uganda, 1970 were
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Miti July - September 2012