University of Dar es Salaam (UDM) Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA).
IRA
The Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) is a multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary research institute dealing with issues related to natural resource assessment and environmental management in general including climate change adaptation and vulnerability assessments. During the last fifty years, the Institute of Resource Assessment, formerly Bureau of Resource Assessment and Land Use Planning (BRALUP) established in 1967, has acquired vast experience in developing integrated methodologies and techniques involving local communities in planning and management of natural resources for sustainable development.
BRALUP was established as an applied research wing within the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) with an objective to supporting the Government of Tanzania in planning and assessment of both human and natural resources. In July 1982, BRALUP was elevated to a fully-fledged Institute of the UDSM, and was established in accordance with the UDSM Act of 1970. Since its establishment, the institute has undertaken applied research in the focal areas of natural resources, environment (including environmental impact assessment), water resources, agricultural systems and food security, social and policy analysis, population and human settlements patterns. Climate change adaptation and vulnerability assessment has also been an important focus area.
IRA has an extensive and diverse experience in building local, national and regional level capacity for assessing climate change impacts and devising adaptation options. The institute has developed and disseminated a wide variety of tools and methods to enhance outreach and communication between research and decision-making communities.
Courses and Programmes
Teaching and Capacity Building
IRA offers MSc and PhD courses in Natural Resources Assessment and Management (NARAM) which enables students to have relevant skills necessary for defining current national and global environmental issues and complex human-environment relationships; critically assessing the relationship between human-cultures and societies, institutions , economic and political trends and their impacts on natural resources. Both courses takes a critical look at the development in current global and national environmental thinking and evolving perspectives on society-environment relationships and engaging in research, writing and presentation skills.
MSc NARAM Courses
Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation
University level multi-disciplinary program that facilitate learning about climate change and biodiversity and ecosystem services are rare in the Albertine Rift Region. To meet the need for enhancing capacities to manage threats to biodiversity The Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam and the International START Secretariat, implemented a Master’s level courses and externships for regional conservation practitioners, researchers and university faculty. The program ran from 2007-2012. Efforts to further advance learning on climate change and biodiversity continue through IRA’s MSc NARAM course and tailor made short courses to specific groups.
Short Courses
The Institute regularly organizes short courses. Most of these courses are tailor made targeting specific client needs. Short courses are provided in the following fields:
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Geographical Information Systems (GIS) / Remote Sensing
- Communicating Environmental Research to Policy Makers
- Environmental Economics and Valuation
- Integration of Population Variables in Development Planning
- Training on Communicating Environmental Research to Policy Makers
Many scientific groups and environmental scientists agree that aspects of a population’s growth, composition, and distribution can lead to environmental changes that affect human and ecosystem health. Audiences influential in setting national policy agendas, such as the media and government officials, often inadequately reflect those linkages in their reports and policy decisions. Yet every year valuable human and financial resources are spent to produce environment research results that fail to reach policymakers and, consequently, are not used to shape policies and programs. The Institute of Resource Assessment (University of Dar es Salaam) in collaboration with the Population Reference Bureau (USA) organizes intensive workshops that help bridge the gap between researchers and policymakers. Sessions help participants understand how to better communicate the population and health components of environmental research, identify the policy and program implications of survey data and research studies, understand how research can influence the policy process, and communicate research findings in simple and compelling formats. The objective of this workshop is to learn how to maximize policymakers’ and planners’ use of research results that illustrate the interaction of population, health and environment variables. Specifically, participants will learn how to:
- Address problems policymakers face with integrated research
- Understand how research findings enter and influence the policy process
- Develop a policy-level communication strategy and action plan
- Design a media strategy, write press releases and give interviews to journalists
- Prepare and present short policy documents such as policy memoranda and fact sheets
- Create and deliver oral policy presentations using a computer-based graphics program
The workshops are designed for researchers, program managers, and others responsible for formulating and implementing environmental programs. Participants should have a strong background in research and data analysis as well as experience with computers. The workshop consists of a combination of plenary and small working-group sessions, emphasizing a hands-on, participatory approach. Sessions cover six areas, each with a corresponding output:
- Exploring population-health-environment integration
- Exploring the research-to-policy gap and designing policy-relevant research
- Developing strategies for the communication of research results
- Communicating research results through the media
- Preparing policy documents and briefings
- Making oral presentations using computer graphic
African Climate Change Fellowship Program
The African Climate Change Fellowship Program (ACCFP) supports African professionals, researchers, educators and graduate students to undertake activities that enhance their capacities for advancing and applying knowledge for climate change adaptation in Africa. Participating Fellows receive small grants that enable them to visit other institutions – “Host Institutions” – where they collaborate with mentors to implement individually-designed projects that, for example, assess and prioritize climate risks, investigate current practices for designing and implementing adaptation projects, consider approaches for integrating adaptation with planning and practice and/or develop and implement curriculum that promotes integration of climate change and climate change adaptation into graduate level education. ACCFP Fellows also participate in periodic program workshops and seminars that offer opportunities for them to interact face-to-face with each other and program staff and challenge them to step “outside the box” in considering the role and potential contributions of their individual work within broader efforts to address climate change adaptation challenges in Africa. The ACCFP is managed by the Institute of Resource Assessment at the University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (IRA-UDSM) and is implemented in partnerships with the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START) with support from Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA).
Environmental Impact Assessment
The course introduces participants to the field of environmental management by focusing on the procedures for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Management (SEA). Emphasis is therefore placed on the study of human impacts on the environment, and how to evaluate the importance of these impacts and regulate their effects, using EIA as the management tool. On completion of the course, participants should understand and be able to answer the following;
What is environmental science and environmental management?
What is an environmental impact assessment?
How does one undertake an environmental impact assessment?
What are the different stages through which an EIA goes?
What is the current status of EIA in Tanzania?
What legislation governs the EIA process in Tanzania?
What are the challenges facing EIA in Africa?
What is Strategic environmental assessment?
How does one undertake a public participation programme?
What is social impact assessment?
What principles should be observed when making environmental decisions?
What makes a good EIA?
GIS and Remote Sensing
The purpose of this course is to further the course participants theoretical and practical knowledge of GIS while enhancing their spatial thinking capabilities. This programme offers more advanced principals of data acquisition, management and analysis when working with a GIS for natural resources assessments. This course also focus on specific problems which may arise while working with GIS data. A Student version of the software used will be supplied to each participant.
Learning Outcomes
After completion of the course participants should be able to:
- explain the difference between the various data models
- analyse data using vector and raster methods in multi-criteria analysis
- understand some advanced topics in raster data analysis; and
- design and implement a GIS project.