QUESTION FIVE (20 MARKS) Using examples from Kenya’s tourism industry, discuss the Tourism Environmental Impact Assessment check list. (20 marks)
QUESTION ONE (COMPULSORY) (30 MARKS)
a) Explain why Kenyan farmers should adopt organic farming practices. (10 marks)
b) Evaluate the factors that threaten the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems in Kenya.
(10 marks)
c) Discuss five international conventions dealing with conservation of natural resources.
(10 marks)
QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS)
Discuss the soil conservation practices which you would recommend for adoption in Kenya.
QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS)
Assuming that you are an environmental officer working for the Machakos County Government,
explain to the management board why funds should be set aside for wetland conservation practices.
QUESTION FOUR (20 MARKS)
The accelerated development of infrastructure has negatively affected wildlife conservation in
QUESTION ONE (COMPULSORY) (30 MARKS) a) Describe the Four (4) main causes of environmental degradation (4 marks) b) Distinguish between the terms conservation and preservation (4 marks) c) Explain Three (3) reasons for conservation (3 marks) d) What are the Four (4) basic conservation principles (4 marks) e) Define the term ‘Species Extinction’ (2 marks) f) Distinguish between Bioprospecting and Biosafety Agreements (4 marks) g) Identify types of Green House Gases (GHGs) and explain their sources (4 marks) h) Explain the Five (5) causes of natural climate change (5 marks)
QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS) a) Of what value is biodiversity to Kenyans (8 marks) b) Discuss three (3) factors that contribute to loss of biodiversity and how they can be controlled
(6 marks) c) Describe man’s direct and indirect impacts and consequences to the environment (6 marks)
QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS)
Discuss any three methods that can be used to solve food shortages in Africa
QUESTION FOUR (20 MARKS)
Assess the different types of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Kenya and suggest practical solutions
QUESTION FIVE (20 MARKS)
Using specific examples from Sub-Saharan Africa, discuss the concepts of natural-determinism,
human-determinism, and nature-human determinism.
QUESTION ONE (COMPULSORY) (30 MARKS) a) Define the following terms: i. Conservation (2 marks) ii. Biodiversity (2 marks) iii. Extinction of species (2 marks) iv. Red data list (2 marks) b) Describe the four basic fundamental principles of conservation. (8 marks) c) Assess the classification of world resources according to usability, quality and mutability. (8 marks) d) Identify three types of Green House Gases and explain their sources. (6 marks)
QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS) Poverty is both a cause of and consequence of environmental degradation. Discuss. (20 marks)
QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS) a) Describe the factors underlying the rapid population increase in the world. (8 marks) b) Describe any three basic approaches for solving food shortage problem in Kenya. (12 marks
E-NOTES LECTURE 1
INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITION OF TERMS
By
Dr Matheaus K. Kauti, PhD {mkauti@seku.ac.ke}-{0722606398}
1.1 Introduction
This lecture provides an introduction to terms used in the area of environmental conservation, historical background.
1.2 Lecture objectives
By the end of this course the learner should be able to:
(i) Explain the various terms used in environmental conservation.
(ii) Discuss the historical background of environmental conservation.
1.3 Introduction to concept of conservation
Environmental conservation is the practice of us humans saving the environment from the loss of species, and the destruction of the ecosystem, primarily due to pollution and human activities. Conservation is vital in saving and helping both animals and trees as we are all dependent on one another for survival.
We define conservation as a broad approach to preserving what is already there and the due care and attention to protecting it for the future (1). It is also dedicated to restoring something to a natural state and maintaining equilibrium. It is a practice and a philosophy, utilizing scientific tools and methods with applied ethics and,where necessary, regulation and environmental law to limit the use of certain materials. It can apply to many areas, not just the natural environment. Typically, it covers three broad areas:
Cultural heritage and the built environment of archaeological monuments, buildings of historic importance, and landscapes. This promotes cultural awareness and respect and preserves a built heritage for future generations to enjoy
Conservation of ecology, maintaining the delicate balance of an ecosystem or set of wildlife to ensure population numbers of threatened or endangered species are not put at risk, to maintain a landscape for study or enjoyment, or for biodiversity.
Resource conservation is the active ways in which we seek to limit the use of resources to reduce the strain put on supply. This can be developing energy-efficient homes to reduce raw materials burnt to produce electricity or efficiency savings of water resources.
Conservation is important for many reasons, not least of all to the health of the planet. However, the study of the subject goes merely beyond health and ecosystems; helps us to understand the world around us and present problems for environmental engineers, archaeologists, ecologists and others to solve to improve how we use land and by extension, our lives. Cultural heritage conservation also benefits local economies through tourism and academic grants for study.
Trees convert carbon dioxide produced by factories into oxygen, which helps us breathe and respire. The loss of species, which makes them go extinct, would mean they are forever lost and cannot be seen by curious eyes, or studied by the scientific minds. Additionally, such loss or destruction of ecosystems would disrupt the food web, messing up the whole ecosystem in general.
There is much to do when it comes to rebuilding and protecting what’s left of natural resources and the biodiversity within our ecosystems. Environmental conservation is an umbrella term that defines anything we do to protect our planet and conserve its natural resources so that every living thing can have an improved quality of life.
Environmental conservation and preservation are two terms that are often used interchangeably, although they are quite different. Conservation refers to the responsible management of the environment and its resources for present and future use. Preservation, on the other hand, is a much stricter approach where the environment, lands and natural resources are put away, not to be consumed by humans, but are instead maintained in their pristine form. If the land is to be used by humans, it should only be utilized for its natural beauty and inspiration.
1.4 Historical back ground of natural environment conservation
Many argue that the conservation movement did not begin in the industrial era, but in a slightly earlier time. In 1662, John Evelyn presented a work called “Sylva or a discourse on forest trees and the propagation of timber in His Majesty's dominions” to the Royal Society.
Two years later, a printed book version followed and it became one of the most important early works in forestry. Unlike many other works of botany from that age and later, Sylva highlighted the growing problem of deforestation in England. Way ahead of its time, it called for preservation of existing forests and the replenishment of new tree canopy with each that was cut down. Evelyn did not take this work upon himself. He was asked to do so by the Royal Society, increasingly concerned at the destruction of trees for Charles II building projects. The book was hugely successful although the concern was more about the depletion of a natural resource rather than concern for such modern concepts as biodiversity, ecology, or even the climate.
But true modern conservationism grew during the industrial era, and relatively early on too. It's generally believed that the industrial revolution began in the late 18th century. This is true, but conservation began even before most western nations began the process of industrialization. In Prussia and France in the 18th century, there was a development (as there was in many European powers) of intensive agriculture and forestry management, later adopted in England and to the colonies of India of the British Empire.
Management covered aspects to maximize production but also to reduce the risk of wildfire devastating crops and resources - particularly of the teak tree, vital for shipbuilding for most naval powers. Concerns began during the Napoleonic Wars when the resource was being plundered to build ships regarding today what we would call “sustainability”. The first conservation laws came in then, making it illegal to fell a teak tree under a certain size. But this measure failed mostly due to laissez-faire economics and inability to enforce the law. But conservation was not dead - in fact, it was only just getting started.
Armed with the new scientific concepts and tools, the conservation movement recommenced during the industrial age. Earlier concerns about forestry exploitation morphed to become a general concern about resource exploitation and what would happen when natural resources ran out. As the world ran almost entirely on coal power at that time (and later on petroleum fossil fuels), it was quite clear that coal was not an infinite resource, and some scientists pleaded in the countries of most heavy use to take steps to limit mining and burning. The developing science of climatology with its understanding of the need for chemistry made scientists concerned for the future on seeing masses amounts of carbon released into the atmosphere, but also (as it was previously) regarding trees as a resource and the potential for depletion.
But conservationists were fully aware that human activity was already damaging the environment, and not just due to cutting down trees. People like George Perkins Marsh pushed the ethical belief that humans had a duty of care to maintain the environment for the future and presented the notion that scientific investigation was paramount in determining the extent of damage and coming up with a solution.
This is a period replete with the establishment of Forestry Departments within the European powers and the US too. This concern about natural resources meant the 19th century was also a great expansion in conservation in other areas. The world's first National Park opened in 1778 in Mongolia (Bogd Khan Uul which today is a UNESCO protected biosphere) and it would take nearly a century for any other nation to follow suit.
The world's second and the first for the US was Yellowstone National Park established in 1872. The development of conservation in the US is slightly different from that in the Old World. Much of North America was either untouched or barely touched due to the nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Native Americans in most cases. Over-hunting of bison and buffalo by both European settlers and Native Americans who started using horses for hunting, and many native birds of prey, the increased urbanization in the new states and industrialization all came together to demonstrate just how fragile our land was. This is why so many national parks were founded in the US in the late 19th century. But we should never underestimate the importance of key ethical conservationists such as Henry David Thoreau who believed humans had a duty to live more in tune with nature. His work and others inspired many of the early forestry laws and departments that sprung up in the states.
