0794-C4
ELWATHIG ADAM
Today the degradation of the natural ecosystem, due to rapid growth of the human population and their need, caused many problems in forestry as well as agriculture. Moreover, the communities perspective has been came more and more involve in natural environment aspects and the forest one of this sector, which, greatly influence by social and community perspectives. As immediate consequence, applied for a new policy and strategies in forestry sector were approached, which, scope with rural development and natural resources management. And this soon became the great challenge of the next foresters' professionals and for forestry students in near future as pre-professional, to learn how human have to be able to live harmony and balance with forest to achieve the sustainable development.
For forestry students to be able to scope with this new trend, they were asked to respond to the social demands as they part of this society, as well as building effective experience for to accommodate the future careers. The participation of the forestry students, particularly in rural development last years is attempted to meet the social demands, and in other hand to shape their own curriculum which, totally different from the traditional university curriculums. The Village Concept Project (VCP) one of this initiative that gives opportunities to student to promote and develop the rural people and in the same time to develop students' curriculum by providing the student with multidisciplinary training and involve them as much as possible in work discussion and decision-making. For all students, this is a time of uncertainty in team of finding their appropriate professional place in society following graduation. The participation of forestry students with community will ensure the proactive and skilled young foresters to face the new challenges. Today as forestry students will be tomorrow's decision makers and they have to be trained taking into special consideration the skills requested when community perspectives get involved in forestry where is a whole range of other exciting disciplines to know about and skills to acquire for future forestry profession.
Forestry is changing. The profession that many of students are hoping to enter now days, being fundamentally different from the career they predecessors devoted there studying live to. The foresters that grappled with caliper, marking the trees and searching for the best trees to cut down belong to picture which are becoming, in many part of the world, more and more unusual. For forestry students to day, knew what their work live-time in very near future will no longer be vigorous with purview of forestry sciences graduation courses. Today forestry student know that whether they study the push land of Sahel region, the ancient pine woodland of Scottish Highland or the rich humid forests of Congo, their chose vocation will depend, as never be fore, on their ability to establish successful partnerships with local people that live in and around `their' forest, which also mean to be ready study and learn how to properly combine wise natural resources management with growing social demands for benefit form the same resources. And this will be the great challenge of the coming graduated foresters; to professionally keeping the human being able to live harmony and balance with forest and other natural resources to achieve the sustainable development.
Now, communities are greatly involving in forestry sector, there is growing interest in employing a more participatory, collaborative form of management as a potential strategy for forest conservation. The possibilities for entering traditional professional careers within the communal management are becoming more complex matter, while new bases of social understanding can be a viable approach as forester seem to present a good alternative.
To be ready to cope with these new trends, today's forestry students are pressured to shape their university careers taking into consideration the contribution of traditional courses on interrelated with other professional and to properly intergraded with different communities demands, and this in order to improve university studies as student and to possibly respond to local community demands as they are part of this community.
Forestry as a profession has its history in some countries. In many ways, it developed of agriculture and as a result, similar principles of land management were applied. Silviculture and the growth of trees for economic profit became the backbone of the professionals. Trees were a crop and education was geared to teaching how to tend the crop and to maximize production (Gilbert, 1993).
However, over the past 30 years there has been a new trend of natural resources management and rural development. The degradation natural ecosystem, due to rapid growth of the human population and their needs, caused many problems in forestry as well as agriculture. Thus, it was realized that forestry sector is very changing and complex ones to manage without developing right interdisciplinary approach and having basis of social knowledge.
If you ask foresters today what has been the main aspects that have chracterised their jobs during recent years- a common answer is the high rate of change, of everything from forest policy and forest practice to public perspective. As result of this, making social perspective a core part of forest and extended forestry education is essential to embrace changing in forestry and tray to achieve sustainable development.
Despite the contribution of the industrial exploitation to regional and national economic. It was of little benefit to rural poor and further more it led to the deterioration of land. This was accompanied by rapid demographic growth and need for a lager space of urbanisation now has led to great reduction of forestry surfaces and this become very common feature in many countries. More and more people are living in town and in the surrounding areas and they are asking for recreation and amenity to compensate the negative effects of urban life.
As consequent to this, new demands by community are rising towards forests and a stronger pressure is put on natural resources. Forest is sacrificed for welfare of local people. The traditional vision of forest for wood production has combined with recreation and other new social benefits of forests. And non-wood and secondary products of other service are becoming more important forestry production. As result, foresters are expected to have skills, which can cope with these new arising matters from the beginning of their university career. Applied to learn to accept other people's value and beliefs, make social and cultural perspectives a core part of forestry, having skills in consensus building and conflict resolution will be as much element as drawing a wise Silviculture plan.
A continuous change of forestry sector worldwide, is emerging a new concept in designing within educational institutions. Terms such as social forestry, participatory forestry and community forestry may be irritatingly vague to many how have been studied in traditional way.
More and more students entering of high education institutions, seeking for a proper scientific and practical education which give them a better career opportunities within society. Thus, it is essential that changing in foresters have to change attitudes to respond to rapid social changes, give answer to arising global problems and fulfill the self-demands. Also the development of the curriculum seen important for professions to be aware of the relevance of various disciplines, and learning how to work in multidisciplinary teams.
A call applied by forestry students need of complete revision of traditional system to develop consistent curriculum with relevant profession content and based on the needs of the society.
In this mater IFSA has contribute in different meeting on High Education. IFSA stressed the necessity of a continuous curriculum change, which should be manage by the high education institutions in order to offer a proper response to the new and rapid changing social demands in forestry.
During the last 60 years mainly British colonies, the United Nation and few independent Third World countries to promote rural development have introduced the concept of community development. It aimed at uniting the efforts in order to improve economic, social, cultural and environmental condition of the community through involving the local people in development process or by taking other method. Community development and community participation are historically interrelated, community participation refers to an active process whereby the people influence the direction and execution of a development in decision making, implementation, benefit and monitoring and evaluation of the activities (Bamberger, 1986).
Today's, a participatory plan in development field seen as very essential to facilitates the immediate fulfillment of the community needs. It enhances the sense of initiativeness among the local inhabitants.
However, the significance of student dimensions in involvement in the development and other fields, in general, had been neglect for along time. The effort of inter-national students organization and other NGOs (1983-1988) led to set up student formal participation of students in development projects. Over the past ten years there has been a trend of student taking active role in planning and implementing of different development activities. This tend has been continued throughout worldwide and involving increasingly number of different specialties of student.
Defining characteristic of student involvement in developmental process is very hard ones if, we take into account the nature of the student and in other side the variety of contexts in which they operate. Although it is clear that the voluntary participation of the students in many different inter-national and local projects such, like VCP, local plantation Pro or other else, is strongly influenced by two common elements. That student is part of the community and they behave the same with the local societies, form this point, the participation of student seen as commitment attempt to carry self-help to achieve the target demands. Other is that the students is, pre-professions provided formal work which mare a rewarded by experience and skills gain than other incentive values. Yet despite wide boundaries defining the student involvement in man activities has open a question if the students have the vision of professional benefactors and the capacity to enrolled actively in such activities, while the are present beneficiaries status.
The rapid growth of public interest in forest and forestry led attention for more comprehensive approach and a coherent respond form those involved in the forestry field. As issue of forest resource use, nature conservation and sustainable development attract increasing attention, the need for well-informed, objective participates in the designing and planning of environmental, forestry and ecological activities is becoming most importance.
Prior to the relatively the active participation of forestry students worldwide has come a long way, today forestry students involve in initiative or program geared towards sustainable forest management and development and they are addressing their understanding of globule problems with by their own sight. More and more forestry students now are involving in planning and implementing a developmental project aiming at improving the live condition for different communities in the rural areas. Over a period of ten years, student in different countries has carried out different international and local project; projects organized in Ghana, Sudan and elsewhere translate their interest in contributing to the development process.
Economic Benefits undoubtedly student participation in many activities makes an important economic contribution especially, in the developing countries, planting a communal woodlot, carrying a plantation pro. Establishing forest as income-generated activities has direct contribution to the society income. Also such activities undertaken by students would otherwise have to be funded by the state or by privet capital. But still these voluntary works provided by students remain a marginal and invisible activity in economic terms in many countries.
Carrying out the activities cooperative with the community and involving them in planning, implementation and evaluation of these projects seen as an essential element in building of strong communities as well as organize and mobilize the local societies which help in well stable communities and building the social capital.
For many students, participation is getting important in terms of improving employability by providing essential work experience and opportunities for skills development and training. Developing skills on decision-making, learn to except view of other non-professionals is becoming most gained skills in these activities.
Such students' projects offer opportunity for students to gain experience outside of their university studies, when university education is not enough to train them in these new demands on future career.
Learning in interdisciplinary way, understanding new cutler and developing a global perception of forestry issues, indeed a good benefits of these projects.
Village Concept Projects (VCPs) are developmental aid projects, which are conducted, in selected village in different regions of the world. The aim of the project is to provide sustainable improvement of the living condition in rural communities, (Village Concept Document). The of Village Concept itself was pioneer by International federation of Medical Student's Association (IFMSA) in cooperation with World Health Organization (WHO). In 1997 the project coordinators attending the 2nd International Symposium on Village Concept Projects in Sweden reworked the document. Since then, every single project working according to VCP document; is based around the need of the local population. Student of different specialist fields work in cooperation with the local population in order to improve their living standards. The villagers' active participation is a component of all phases of the project from initial planning through to the evaluation. The interdisciplinary character of the projects in an essential principle: the cooperation between different sectors such as medical sector, forestry, agriculture and veterinary, along with the active integration of the local community, provide the bases for a successful and sustainable implementation of the objectives of the project.
After the implementation of a pilot project in Ghana in 1988, three further projects Ghana II and Sudan I and Sudan II have already been successfully completed. At the moment there are Village Concept Projects in Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Tanzania; additional projects are being planed for Sudan III and Indonesia.
For all students, this is time for deep involvement in the development of strategies and programs aimed at sustainable development. There is a need for experience and skilled foresters to face the challenges of the rapid in the forestry; and try to get the best training possible to be prepared for these new demand of the job is very important for young foresters.
Education presents the key element for young generations to face the challenges of the future. Including social concepts and bases f multi disciplinary in forestry curriculum and fasten the projection of these process an important element for improving forestry education.
Recognition of student's participation and it is contribution to economical progress, environmental achievement and social integration as well as promoting students freedom in addressing their understanding and their involvement in a local and global problems. Forestry student's point of view should be considered when taking a decision concerning forestry matters because forestry student today are forests managers, researchers and decision makers tomorrow. Also forestry students organizations in different levels should be supported and allowed to take active role to achieve it is own aims.
In the light of these considerations the command would be to the XII World Forestry Congress the recommendation of promoting debates on the role of forestry student's participation in development progress in order to provide national and international guidelines for enhancing forestry students participation to play effectively and actively among the global community
Lars, A.&Said, S.(1987) Sudan Village Concept Project I Final Report Sew MSIC Sweden.
Nasri, H.O (2001) The Role of Student Participation SVCP II paper presented in he final workshop of the SVCPII, Khartoum, Sudan
Oliver, H.& Harry, A& Kwasi, T(1997) Ghana Village Concept Ii two years-evaluation Ast-Aus Germany
Giorgio, A.(1997) Higher Education in Forestry IFSA News letter 34-43Germany
Yonos, H.H(2001)Community Participation and Sustainability in the SVCPII. Paper presented in the final workshop, Khartoum. Sudan