Sensitizing for the Kakamega-Nandi Forests Ecosystem, Western Kenya, by Means of Environmental Education Tools Based on Geodata
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Paul, L.; 2Schaab, G.
1KARLSRUHE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES Email: l.paul1@gmx.de
2KARLSRUHE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES Email: gertrud.schaab@hs-karlsruhe.de
Abstract
Over the last 100 years the Kakamega-Nandi forests area, western Kenya, experienced a loss of about 60% in natural forest cover due to human interferences. In order to create awareness among the local population for a sustainable forest use, four tools for environmental education have been developed. These tools aim at making use of geospatial data because map reading literacy is considered a prerequisite in natural resource management and planning. The chosen participatory approach allowed the enhancement of prototypes in an iterative manner. Two stakeholder consultation workshops worked with focus groups and standardized questionnaires, while the end-user testing among potential user groups (156 participants in total) was based on observations when the tools were applied and again used questionnaires in semi-structured interviews. Cartographic work for a jigsaw puzzle on natural forest cover change since 1912/13 focused on map generalization to derive a limited number of stable jigsaw puzzle pieces, which nevertheless represent the landscape’s characteristics. Here, after geometrically intersecting the original vector geodatasets of three time steps the initial total number of 2012 pieces was reduced to finally 91 jigsaw puzzle pieces of varied sizes and shapes. Mainly associative colours have been assigned according to a matrix legend and allow interpretation of forest loss and gain over the two time intervals. In case of the Memory-type card game for learning about the official rules in place for Kakamega Forest each of the 27 local forest uses is represented by a photograph and lists the according rules. The cartographic focus was on effective map design, which considers the users’ general lack in map reading experience. A small map on one of the cards of the pair highlights by colour where a particular local forest use is completely forbidden or permitted with limitations. The maps are kept most simple doing without a legend, scale bar and labels, instead a separate larger-scaled map for orientation is also part of the materials provided. The work also covered the development of touristic tour leaflets for promoting ecotourism in the area as well as of flipbooks for sensitizing on the four major forest threats and sustainable alternatives, the latter without making use of geodata. The challenge of the work has been the developing of environmental education tools, which are successful in informing a most broad potential audience of a different culture and in a developing country. By integrating the local insights in the needs of the proposed tools, as revealed by stakeholder consultation and end-user testing, locally applicable solutions could be developed. Besides, the workshops have stimulated interest and desire for the tools among the stakeholder institutions, while the end-user-testing has led to excitement for the tools among the locals. Here, the playful character of the tools clearly helps. By supporting with the tools in particular the non-formal sector it is hoped for an enhanced informing and training of also adults and less-educated people, who are the important decision makers in rural areas.