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 Electronic TEG
Published in TEG news issue 27, Spring 2001, by the British Ecological Society.
Category: Teaching ecology ideas and techniques
An ecology field course in Africa - the 'easy' option?
by Dr Julian Doberski
This article is based on a presentation made to the Winter Meeting of the British Ecological Society in Birmingham in January 2001.
Despite the increasing ease of long distance foreign travel, many undergraduate students on Biology/Environmental courses still want to have the experience of taking part in an 'expedition' to somewhere exotic. Although student-organised/led expeditions were quite common in the past, there is some evidence that financial and other pressures have made this a more difficult option. On the other hand, a number of charitable and commercial organisations can now provide the 'expedition experience', although these can be expensive. Thus, for many students, University field courses represent the main 'field' experience that they acquire during their degree. Some of these field exercises are very much extensions of exercises done at the University, with little similarity to 'expedition' conditions. However, with relatively cheap long-distance flights it is possible to go much further afield and give students a much better idea of both the difficulties and excitement of collecting scientific data in the field without home comforts.
At APU we have been trying to do this over the past two years by taking a group of twenty students on a short (two week) field trip/'expedition' to Kenya. Although we do go 'off the beaten track', a country like Kenya does have the advantage of a well developed tourist industry. This means that it is relatively easy to use the services of a commercial tour operator to remove some of the problems of trying to run such a trip at a distance. It also means that the group is not reliant on a local academic, who can end up having to do a lot of local organising for visiting UK groups. In theory, using a tour operator should mean that all you have to do is turn up at the airport at the right time! In practice, things do not always run so smoothly.
The students we take on the field course will be taking one of a range of single honours or combined honours degree pathways, such as Animal Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation or Natural History. The main outcomes for a trip of this kind will include: experience of tropical environments and biodiversity changes in perception of wildlife issues and tropical environments gained mainly from television introducing issues of people, money and development as a central part of wildlife management The option of an exciting field course can also be a helpful factor in student recruitment.
The Itinerary
We have now completed two field courses to Kenya. The itinerary we follow is modelled itself on a trip first undertaken by Norwich City College, a Regional College of APU. The itinerary works well in covering a range of habitat and land-use types and, through variations in altitude, shows a significant degree of climatic variation. The map represented in Figure 1 provides some idea of the areas of Kenya we cover and the main stop-off points. These include:
- Lake Nakuru - A Rift Valley soda lake within a fenced National Park. Large numbers of flamingos present in 2000 and incomparable views of rhinos.
- Marich Pass - An highly recommended field centre run by Dr David Roden. Accommodation basic, but close to a 'true' African experience. An excellent place for students to spend a few days undertaking project work, for example on tropical ants, vervet monkeys or medicinal plants. The Centre is positioned very scenically on the banks of the river Moruny.
- Kakamega Forest - An impressive remnant of the swathe of tropical rain forest stretching from West to Central to East Africa. Camping in the forest quite an experience – with wake up calls provided by Colobus monkeys.
- Masai Mara National Reserve - Needs little introduction following its star billing in the BBC's 'Big Cat Diary' .However many times they have seen it on television, students (and me!) never fail to impress and amazed by wildlife on a truly grand scale.
Travel in Kenya was by an endearing but cold, slow and uncomfortable open sided Chinese truck. It had just one major foible - a tendency to break down periodically. Despite its deficiencies, the general view amongst the students was that they wouldn't swap it for 'something more comfortable' .It did have a certain reassuring robustness out it – definitely a plus point if we were ever to hit anything!
Organisation and Cost
As indicated earlier, our trip was organised through a commercial tour operator. I wish could say that the organisation of the trip was perfect. We did complete our intended tour in each year, but only just last year! Transport and other arrangements were subcontracted to a local operator. Despite various difficulties encountered during the trip, our driver did a splendid job in working with us to overcome a range of problems.
The trip lasted two weeks, with a cost of £920 per student, which was essentially the all-inclusive cost. As is usual on trips organised through educational tour operators, this included provision for free places for staff on a ratio of one staff place per ten students.
The Preparation
There are a number of important points to consider in organising a trip of this kind. The dangers of the trip should not be exaggerated, but they are real and on our last trip worries about student health made the situation very difficult for several days. Because of this, there is no substitute for careful preparation to ensure that as many of the potential hazards are considered as possible.
Staff - Key Points
- need for a reconnaissance visit to provide experience of locations and conditions - especially important for visits to risky environments
- medical training beyond First Aid and an adequate medical kit
- adequate insurance
- adequate communications (which can be especially difficult in case of emergency in remote environments)
- risk assessment - as best you can when there are usually various 'unknowns'!
Students - Key Points
- explain the discomforts and medical dangers of a trip of this kind to ensure that students are prepared to cope. It is important that students fully understand the nature of the trip - and it is better to put off those who may have problems adapting.
- provide a very comprehensive list of 'things to take'
- ensure that all students are fully vaccinated and taking prophylactics
Problems
As far as our trip to Africa is concerned, there were a number of problems that have caused us particular difficulties, as follows:
- Malaria and other illnesses. Despite the relatively short duration of the trip, in both years we have had students suffering from malaria, as well as 'gut' related illnesses. In all cases, the students were certain that they had taken their recommended anti-malarial prophylactics. Sickness linked to gut infections also caused us significant concern in relation to dehydration. In both years we were forced to take students to local hospitals - in itself a problematic issue in terms of the safety of medical treatment.
- Insufficient knowledge/perception of risk. For the organisers getting reliable information on risk factors is difficult. From the student's point of view, there have been times when participants have demonstrated a lack of awareness of hazards in tropical environments. The attitude "I can't see any mosquitoes, therefore there aren't any mosquitoes" unfortunately does not work but is difficult to dispel.
- Communication. In case of emergency, communications can be very difficult in the remoter parts of Kenya. Unfortunately, good insurance relies on making contact with the company. When this proved to be impossible, it left us having to sort out medical problems ourselves without help. Unfortunately, mobile phones definitely do not reach much beyond Nairobi!
- Climate. Students perceptions of African climates are based mainly on television footage showing continuous sunshine. Last year, we had some rain every day and, at times, rather low temperatures. Clothes and feet got rather wet and uncomfortable, especially in Kakamega.
- The truck. This broke down last year at a very isolated spot on our way to Nairobi and the airport. Financial inducements eventually persuaded two local drivers to transport us to Nairobi - but it was a difficult few hours.
What was good?
I have concentrated on the problems associated with the trip - because it is essential for these to be considered and planned for. Last year in particular we felt that we had a lot more difficulties (especially medical) than we might have expected. Nevertheless, if you ask the students who went, they would all still agree that it was an incomparable experience. It is seldom in teaching that you can get such gratifying feedback and such unrestrained enthusiasm for the wonders of wildlife and the overall experience of the trip. The visit perhaps most clearly serves to remind students why Biology is such a fascinating subject and why it is so important to conserve the unique wildlife spectacles that they encountered. The trip also provides an essential reminder that there is a human dimension to every conservation issue and that conservation has to be coupled to the needs of local populations.
Returning to the title of this article, taking a field trip to East Africa will never be an easy option. Although we had our doubts at times during the last trip, we will be going again this year. We hope to be still better prepared for the medical problems, although it would be nice to have a trouble-free trip for a change!
Dr Julian Doberski
Department of Life Sciences
Anglia Polytechnic University
East Road
Cambridge CB1 1PT
j.doberski@anglia.ac.uk
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