Daphine Gitonga

Abel Kamfwe, Executive Director of Green Generation Zambia during a field visit at Kakuzi Plc in Makuyu, Murang’a County, Kenya. Photo © AFF

Join the AFF-FAO Community of Practice on enhancing interest of youth and young professionals in forestry and wildlife profession and education

WHEN:21st October – 05th November 2024

TIME: 12:00 noon – 3.00 pm Nairobi time/ 9:00 am -12.00 noon GMT

HOW: Howspace, a platform for learning and knowledge sharing

RATIONALE

Africa encompasses approximately 624 million hectares of forests, with 98.8 percent classified as natural forests. These forests support a vast array of wildlife and provide crucial resources for over 60 percent of the rural population on the continent (FAO, 2020). Unfortunately, the adverse effects of climate change, widespread deforestation, and rampant poaching have significantly damaged Africa’s rich biodiversity. This degradation has serious implications for the livelihoods of millions of vulnerable people who rely on these resources for sustenance and economic activities (Mwangi et al., 2018; Chirwa et al., 2015).

Successful mobilisation of all stakeholders is necessary for efficient and effective management of natural resources in Africa. Most importantly, youth hold great potential to contribute to this agenda. Specifically, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with over 400 million individuals aged between 15 and 35. This demographic presents a substantial opportunity for addressing environmental challenges, particularly through education and involvement in forestry and wildlife conservation (UNFPA, 2021).

Harnessing the potential of the youthful population in Africa can significantly contribute to sustainable development and biodiversity conservation on the continent (World Bank, 2020). Meanwhile, if not properly engaged and educated about environmental sustainability, this young demographic could threaten natural resources. Inadequate education and limited career prospects in environmental fields may lead to increased pressures on natural resources, exacerbating issues such as deforestation and wildlife exploitation (UNEP, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial to enhance education and vocational training in forestry and wildlife management, align curricula with contemporary conservation needs, and create pathways for youth to participate actively in environmental stewardship (FAO, 2022; Chukwuone, 2018).

Many international, regional, and national organizations have been instrumental in enhancing forestry and wildlife education in Africa through various projects, programmes, and initiatives. Initiatives have also been implemented to enhance the interest of youth in the forestry and wildlife professions. Despite these efforts, the continent still faces many challenges in involving youth and young professionals in forestry and wildlife education and the profession. It is therefore crucial and urgent to explore the challenges of forestry and wildlife education and profession for youth and document lessons learnt and best practices from previous programmes and projects so that they can help shape future initiatives to create an enabling environment for youth engagement in forestry and wildlife education and profession.

In view of this, the African Forest Forum (AFF), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s Regional Office for Africa, will hold a three-week Community of Practice (CoP) that integrates both a webinar series and web-based discussions focused on “enhancing the interest of youth and young professionals in the forestry and wildlife profession and education.”

The CoP will aim to serve as an efficient and easily accessible way for peer-to-peer sharing of stakeholders/countries’ knowledge, experiences, expertise, and lessons learnt on past and ongoing interventions/initiatives to enhance the interest of youth and young professionals in the forestry and wildlife profession and education in Africa.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

The objectives of this CoP are twofold:

  • Offer an opportunity and platform for stakeholders to share knowledge, experiences, expertise, and lessons learned from past and ongoing interventions/initiatives to enhance the interest of youth and young professionals in the forestry and wildlife profession and education in Africa.
  • Based on the challenges and opportunities, identify and recommend key actionable areas for consideration by AFWC members and FAO in the next session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC).

METHODOLOGY

The CoP on “enhancing the interest of youth and young professionals on forestry and wildlife profession and education in Africa” will be held virtually via Howspace from 21st October to 05th November 2024. The 3-week-long CoP will adopt a two-tiered approach (web-based discussion and webinar series):

  • Week 1: 21st – 25th October 2024: One-week webinar series featuring daily presentations by selected experts. The webinars will cover specific topics related to past and ongoing interventions/initiatives to enhance the interest of youth and young professionals in forestry and wildlife professions and education in Africa, which are linked to the CoP thematic areas. These webinars aim to facilitate comprehensive and insightful discussions on the education of, and profession for, youth and young professionals in Africa’s forestry and wildlife sectors and to encourage the sharing of experiences among community members, guest speakers, and experts.
  • Week 2 and 3: 28 October – 4 November 2024: An open-ended web-based discussion for the second and third week of the CoP using the chat function of the Howspace platform, where stakeholders are invited to share their experiences and ask or answer questions at their available time. The discussion will be guided by critical questions.

TARGET GROUP

All stakeholders in the forestry and wildlife sectors, including the government’s forestry and wildlife administrations, non-governmental organizations, research, academia, private sector, media, youth, and women-based organizations, are invited from across Africa and beyond to participate.

HOW TO JOIN

To join the Community of Practice on Howspace:

  1. Click on the registration link: https://african-forestry-community.in.howspace.com/ 
  2. Enter your e-mail address and register your profile details
  3. On the question,

N/B: If you are an existing member of the platform, skip step 1 and 2. Login via: https://african-forestry-community.in.howspace.com/forestry-and-wildlife-profession-and-education and select the CoP titled, “Forestry and Wildlife Profession and Education.