Study tour
The MSc programme in Ecological Economics is one of two programmes with a mandatory study tour in the School of GeoSciences.
The study tour, which normally takes place in April or May, is an essential element of the Masters programme. It is important to see, discuss and promote the practical implementation of ecological economic tools at local level and to evaluate the challenges and conflicts that need to be addressed.
Although some course options in the first two semesters offer shorter (half-day) field trips, these are in Edinburgh and its surrounding areas. The main study tour lasts for around 10 days and is usually overseas and in the developing world.
In previous years the study tour has been in Wales, Greece, Morocco and lately to Kenya and Tanzania. The objectives of this study tour are to:
- see instances of conflict between ecosystem conservation and human development needs on the ground
- discuss with local stakeholders why these conflicts have arisen and persisted
- appraise the policy instruments and institutional structures that are in place/could be put in place to resolve these conflicts
- link this appraisal with ecological economics theory
Group bonding within the student body is also an important outcome.
The vast majority of the programme’s Additional Programme Costs are spent on the study tour.
East Africa Study tours
Image Gallery
Click an image to view the full size version.
The study tours to East Africa have evolved over the years.
We have found Kenya to be an ideal destination:
- Issues such as water catchment management, development-conservation conflict (and conflict resolution) are of critical local importance.
- We have developed trusted contacts for facilitating the discussion of these issues.
- We can be sure that appropriate Health and Safety measures are in place.
Learning outcomes from the Kenyan tour
- Demonstrate an understanding of the context for water catchment management across the Mao river basin.
- Synthesise and assess conflicting viewpoints from stakeholders affected by differing models of management of protected areas (semi-private/NGO, community-based, state-regulated).
- Assess through consultation and questioning the impact of conservation measures on sustainable rural livelihoods.
- Consider the application and applicability of payments for ecosystem services through Coasian bargaining.
2006-07 Kenya tour
The synopsis of the 2006-07 study tour to Kenya links the content of the tour with some of the theoretical analyses discussed in the two semesters of taught courses.
2007-08: Tanzania tour
We visited Mwanza in the north, near the Serengeti and on the shores of Lake Victoria. Issues discussed with local stakeholders, policy-makers and NGOs included:
- community fisheries management and property rights regimes
- trans-boundary management, conflict-resolution and payment for ecosystem services in Lake Victoria
- micro-credit generation and gender issues in rural development
- micro-generation of energy
- economic incentives for the management of the Serengeti as a protected area
Daniel Koros from WWF Lake Nakuru (Kenya) again co-ordinated the trip, so we were able to compare management strategies across the two neighbouring countries.
Academic presentations that provided context in Tanzania (as PDF files)::
- Ecosystem management in the Serengeti
- Mara river basin management
- Water resources management in Lake Victoria
2008-09: Kenya tour
Academic presentations that provided context in Kenya in 2008-9 (as PDF files):
2010-11: Kenya Tour
The New Constitution has significant ramifications for the conservation discourse in Kenya. On the 2010-2011 study tour, we discussed its potential implications. In particular, the management of the Mara may well change in the future as the devolution of authority to more localised centres could mean that the status quo as of March 2011 (with the Mara falling under the jurisdiction of two separate County Councils - Narok and Trans-Mara) is likely to change.
We added an extra day to our tour in 2010-11 compared to previous years visiting local communities involved in Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). Bernadete Neves joined us this year from the FAO in Rome - she studied on the sister MSc in Environmental Sustainability. We discussed various PRESA projects and in particular ones that have applied ecological economic methods such as choice experiments and contingent valuation for ecosystem valuation.
We also met with PRESA staff at the United Nations Environment Program [UNEP] building in Nairobi - their presentations are provided below as PDFs:
This article was published on May 11, 2011