This course unit BIOL  244 is offered to Diploma in Technial Instructor and Trainer Trainees and all Year 1 semester 2 diploma classes. 

COURSE AIM: To impart trainees with knowledge and skills on environmental management and sustainability of the natural resource bases

 COURSE UNIT OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, the trainee should be able to:

1. Define terms applied in environmental science.
2. Describe the various components of the environment.
3. Describe the effects of natural disasters on the environment.
4. Identify the causes of environmental pollution and degradation.
5. Suggest methods of preventing environmental pollution and degradation.
6. Describe the benefits of biodiversity conservation
7. Evaluate the role of gender to the immediate environment
8. Distinguish between climate change, climate variability and global warming
9. Identify contributions of agriculture to climate change
10. Suggest mitigation measures to the effects arising from climate change
11. Explain the benefits of multilateral agreements on environmental conservation

 COURSE UNIT DESCRIPTION

Definitions; Components of the environment; principles of ecology and ecosystem balance; services offered by biodiversity, Agro-biodiversity; natural resources, common natural resources; renewable and non-renewable resources; Source and agents of environmental pollution: Air, land and water pollution; Pollution prevention methods; The Human environment, Natural resources; biodiversity and interactions; Human population growth and its impacts on the environment; Major environmental issues: principles of agro-ecology (nutrients, soil conditions, losses); gender and the environment; global warming and climate change; definitions, causes, effects. Mitigation and adaptation to global warming and climate change; introduction to environment impact assessment & auditing and institutional arrangement for environmental management in Kenya (NEMA, EMCA), multilateral environmental agreements.