Release Date: 2006-02-24
Original Link: http://presszoom.com/story_114877.html
Source: Lindsey Ward, Marketing Coordinator
Faculty members from The School for Field Studies-Centre for Wildlife Management Studies are invited to give keynote address and present papers on the topic of landscapes in tourism and their connection to culture, conservation and consumption in tourism research and management.
(PressZoom.com) - Mombasa, Kenya- Faculty from The School for Field Studies-Centre for Wildlife Management Studies, Dr. Moses Okello and Salaton Tome, joined international researchers from Europe, Australia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania at the ATLAS (Association for Tourism and Leisure Education) Africa Conference in Mombasa earlier this month to present papers and deliver a keynote address.
The theme of the conference concentrated on landscapes in tourism and their connection to culture, conservation and consumption in tourism research and management. Dr. Okello gave a keynote address (written in collaboration with Professor Bob Wishitemi, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Moi University, who was unable to attend the conference) entitled "Protected Areas as Contested Landscapes: Concerns and potential use of the protected landscape approach in Kenya" which was described by the chair of the session as powerful, inspirational, engaging and a wake-up call for conservation strategies in Africa. Both faculty presented papers including "The Chyulu Hills: raison d'ętre and consequences of contested proprietorship of an idyllic resource oasis" and "The role and relative importance of large mammal species in tourism viewing in Amboseli National Park, Kenya."
Dr. Moses Makonjio Okello joined SFS in July 1999 as a resident faculty at the SFS- Centre for Wildlife Management Studies in Kenya and currently serves as Associate Professor of Wildlife Management. In addition to his teaching experiences at Moi University and University of Alberta, Moses has conducted a number of training workshops for Kenya Wildlife Services and provided consultancy services to the British Council in Kenya. His research interests include wildlife conservation and ecology, human – wildlife interactions, the role of traditional institutions and roles in resource conservation, spatial wildlife distributions and influence of land uses on this distribution, and application of both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Biostatistical techniques in natural resource research. Moses received his Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Management from the University of Alberta (Canada).
Salaton Tome joined the SFS-Centre for Wildlife Management Studies in Kenya in spring 2003 where he teaches the Environmental Policy and Socio-Economic Values course. He has worked and consulted for international organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, Nature Foundation Intermediate Technology Development Group, Environment Liaison Centre International and Pact/USAID. His work has focused on issues ranging from traditional mechanisms of managing natural resource conflict to envisioning sustainable development to development of appropriate participatory approaches. Salaton is a member of the Maasai community and hails from Narok district, home to the world-famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve. He received a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Studies (Human Ecology) specializing in human/wildlife interaction from Moi University.
The School for Field Studies (SFS), an international non-profit academic institution, has provided environmental education and conducted research through its field-based programs since 1980. SFS is committed to providing hands-on, interdisciplinary education and environmental research in partnership with natural resource dependent communities. Our goals are to provide students with a unique and challenging educational and life experience that assists them in successfully advancing their careers as skilled professionals and globally aware citizens as well as to work with local community stakeholders to develop models for the sustainable management of their natural resources.