MAINSTREAMING BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF ITS COMPONENTS INTO SCHOOL CURRICULA:

1. MAINSTREAMING BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF ITS COMPONENTS INTO SCHOOL CURRICULA: AN E-LEARNING COURSE FOR PEDAGOGIC INSPECTORS IN CAMEROON Presented by: Neckmen Samson, Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development-Cameroon, (CBSD-Cameroon), E-mail: s-neckmen@hotmail.com, cbsd.cameroon@yahoo.com

2. CAMEROON’S BIODIVERSITY • Cameroon is endowed with a rich, biodiversity both in variety and in quantity (5th in Africa). • 92% of Africa’s ecosystems are represented in Cameroon (UNEP 1997) some of them endemic – Africa in miniature. • But the biodiversity is threatened by both man-made and natural causes.

3. THE PURPOSES OF THE COURSE The purposes of the course are: • Conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and its components to satisfy the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing future generations from satisfying their own needs. • Introduce e-learning in the target group and their institutions.

4. MANDATE THE 1972 STOCKHOLM DECLARATION PROVIDES: “Education in environmental matters, for the younger generation as well as adults, giving due consideration to the underprivileged, is essential in order to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in protecting and improving the environment in its full human dimension”.

5. THE TARGET GROUP FOR COURSE The target group will comprise 100 participants as follows: I) the national pedagogic inspectors in Cameroon who are in charge of drawing up in the primary, secondary and higher education school curricula Ii) experts from biodiversity related ministries (MINEP, MINFOF, MINADER, etc) Iii) educationist from higher institutions of learning, universities (public and private).

6. COURSE FORMAT The course will be delivered in the following phases: • Face to face (one at the beginning and one at the end), • CD • Online.

7. PACKAGES USED TO DEVELOP COURSE • EXELEARNING • PHOTOFILTER • PDF CREATOR • HOTPOTATOES • PAINT • PHOTO CAMERA • NEWSPAPERS • Exelearning • Photofilter • Hotpotates • PDF Creator • Photo camera, • Etc.

8. PLAN TO EVALUATE COURSE QUALITY We intend to evaluate the course quality through: • the selected content, • form of delivery, • meeting of milestones, • Assignments, • Self assessments • performance evaluation.

9. NUMBER OF HOURS PER WEEK The course will take 110 hours (5 hours per week for 5 months two weeks). 100 learners drawn from various national institutions of learning will participate.

10. COURSE CERTIFICATE • We intend to award participation attestations to participants • Attestations to be countersigned by the Cameroon Minister of Environment and Nature Protection (MINEP) and UNEP.

11. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF COURSE • Training of 100 pedagogic inspectors on biodivrsity conservation and sustainable use, through the use of e-learning for the purpose of including same in school curricula.

12. CHALLENGES FACING DEVELOPMENT OF ELEARNING IN CAMEROON’S ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORITY TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW: LACK OF SKILLS IN THE DOMAIN INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE ON ELEARNING IN CAMEROON AND THE CENTRAL AFRICA SUB-REGION – FUTURISTIC? FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS.

13. RECOMMENDATIONS • To find financial and technical assistance to help implement the projects presented in Dakar during this Conference as pilot projects in their various countries. • The linguistic potential of Cameroon should be exploit so e-learning could penetrate the central Africa sub-region.

14. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION! • Presented by: Neckmen Samson, Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development-Cameroon, (CBSD-Cameroon), E-mail: s_neckmen@hotmail.com cbsd.cameroon@yahoo.com. Tel; (237) 99978550.