Objectives
ITCER e.V. and ITCER Kenya are non-profit partner organisations in the tertiary education sector, focusing on scientific research, teaching and outreach in an international training centre in Siaya County in Western Kenya (see Location)
Background
East Africa’s natural ecosystems are rapidly degrading due to unsustainable use and multiple mismanagement resulting from, in part, a large increase in human population, and land use practices that are not adequately adapted to the negative impacts of climate change. Finding solutions to environmental problems will require a new class of managers with practical skills to identify and assess current and emerging indicators of unsustainable land use practices that lead to soil degradation.
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Kenya has biological and physical resources that are of considerable national, international, economic, and intrinsic value. It is estimated that the country has 35,000 known species of animals and plants, aside from numerous microorganisms. This wealth is fundamental to Kenya’s prosperity in many ways, such as a source of employment and foreign exchange earnings. Life and economy are based on natural resources such as water, rocks, and soils. These resources and their ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure from unsustainable use, leading to erosion, pollution, and depletion. Biological resources, which are sources of medicine, food, income, shelter, and fuel, are only secure if they are used sustainably. The level of institutional awareness is encouraging. In order to meet the challenges and requirements of biodiversity protection, conservation, and management while mitigating and preventing biodiversity loss, the government is already addressing specific management strategies and policies, enforcement of existing laws and biodiversity, formulation of land use plans, and development of systems for rehabilitation and restoration. Climate change, combined with reduced resilience, is exacerbating existing challenges and increasing pressure on mountain people and ecosystems in Kenya and neighboring countries. Climate change also leads to floods, droughts, and soil erosion. Therefore, there is a need to mitigate the effects of climate change by promoting grassroots action to build community resilience. It is therefore absolutely necessary to supplement teaching programs in the university sector to this end and also to raise awareness of these issues among the general public.
Organizational Structure
ITCER is a regional organization registered in Germany (e.V.) and Kenya as an international NGO. Both ITCER Kenya and ITCER e.V. have a board of directors composed of elected board members. These board members include representatives from Kenya and other countries. ... more
Members and Memberships
The members of ITCER Kenya and ITCER e.V. are so far mainly recruited from members of Egerton University, University of Eldoret, JOUUST, and Maseno University (Kenya), of University of Bamenda (Cameroon), furthermore of University of Bayreuth, University of Hohenheim, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, and Hochschule Karlsruhe (Germany), as well as of institutions dedicated to environmental diagnostics, environmental protection, and public relations (BIO-Diverse, SNSB IT Center, Stiftung Pfennigparade (all Germany) and others).
Cooperation agreements and local universities based on MOUs are listed here.
Donors and funders to date include the University of Bayreuth, University of Hohenheim, University of Tübingen, the SES, and the AGYO.
ITCER e.V. and ITCER Kenya itself become partners and members in other organizations listed here.
Kenyan government support: County Government of Siaya, Kenya Forest Service, KEPHIS, NEMA, NGO Coordination Board Office.
ITCER’s Role
To provide quality case-based training in environmental sciences to postgraduate students, scientists, and members of various stakeholder groups from Kenya and neighboring countries. ... more
To …
- act as an faciliator of concepts and materials to implement current environmental knowledge in higher education institutions and to inform key actors and local communities in Kenya and its neighbouring countries
- improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources
- promote community development through self-sufficiency in resources
- support sustainable agriculture planning and development activities within the community
- sustainably cultivate indigenous fungal species and raise community awareness about tree and mushroom conservation, identification and use
- promote group farming, especially in the areas of food cultivation, livestock, fish farming and other self-help activities
- working closely with related organizations, village development committees and other NGOs
- enhance the capacity building of its members by organizing and participating in training workshops and conferences
- conduct scientific research in related fields to improve production capabilities and facilities.
Environmental Science Research and Training
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Integrate sustainable natural resource management to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services for community livelihoods and human well-being.
- Climate Change: facilitate regional mechanisms to assess and address the impacts of climate change and promote grassroots action to build community resilience.
- Sustainable Agriculture: working with communities to promote sustainable agriculture.
Strategic approaches
- Engaging strategic partnerships and leading stakeholders ... more
and facilitating regional collaboration and networking for better environmental, climate, and conservation action and community empowerment.
- Establishment of a regional reference center ... more
for information on the environment, climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
- Partnering with and strengthening grassroots community groups ... more
and working with responsible industries and businesses to promote corporate social and environmental responsibility.
Aims
Many university curricula focus more on theoretical aspects and have a gap in teaching practical skills in latest methods. ITCER aims to fill this gap … ... more
by providing relevant training units that combine theoretical and practical expertise and skills for field sampling, ecological modeling, detection, quantification, and analysis of environmental variables critical for sustainable ecosystem management. ITCER aims to offer a locally and internationally recognized training program and courses focused on current ecological challenges in the region, such as biodiversity, sustainable use and conservation, water quality and land management, climate change and its impacts, landscape and waterscape restoration, ecosystem service, pollution and remediation, environmental data management. Topics covered are generally aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Regional Government Agenda, including Africa 2063.
In a nutshell:
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- ITCER aims to promote networking among local, national and international actors to improve sustainable development through the exchange of information and experiences.
- ITCER aims to strengthen its network through policy dialogue, capacity building, and community engagement in the implementation of its work. ITCER aims to work with all types of organizations, including NGOs/CBOs, academic institutions, and businesses.
- ITCER activities are intended to take an integrated landscape-scale approach focused on research and education in environmental sciences, protecting biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem services, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and building a shared stakeholder vision to address threats.
