Trimester 1

1. Brief description of aims and content

The objective of this module is to provide students with basic skills in analyzing problems related to community development and integrated watershed management issues. The content of this module is oriented to the analysis of watershed issues related mainly to erosion problems and agricultural management.

2. Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of characteristics of watersheds in Rwanda
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of watershed functioning and management
3. Have solid knowledge in watershed conservation and tools and techniques (GIS and other appropriate software) applied land use management within watershed.

Cognitive/Intellectual skills/Application of Knowledge

Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:

1. Collect spatial and non-spatial data from different sources and identify approaches and methods to analyze issues related to water flow and soil erosion within watersheds
2. Use GIS and Remote Sensing software in solving watershed  management issues
3. Use the above mentioned tools in a professional real-life.

Communication/ICT/Numeracy/Analytic Techniques/Practical Skills

Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:

1. Produce results result explaining clearly the situation of water flow, soil erosion agricultural water management and their relationships within a defined watershed using different methods of watershed analysis including GIS and Remote Sensing techniques

General transferable skills

Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:

1. Explain basic theoretical and technical methods for the assessment and analyzing of relationships between water management, agricultural management and soil erosion within a watershed.
2. Work autonomously under guidance of qualified practitioners in watershed management

3. Indicative Content

Theory

The following topics are introduced:

• Delineation, identification and characterization of watersheds (Hydrology)
• Watershed functioning (geomorphology, topography, land use, soil conservation, pollution, water uses)
• Soil and water management in tropical watershed
• Institutions for watershed and river basin governance

Practical

• Derive flow and delineation of watersheds within Nil drainage basin using the Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
• Map watershed of local rivers (Akagera);
• Analyze digital images of some rivers (Nyabarongo, Akagera, Nile, Congo, Amazon, etc…);
• Basic soil erosion modeling (RUSLE)
• Watershed Fieldwork 
• Seminars

4. Learning and Teaching Strategy

• Lectures providing theories and concepts of watershed management with the main focus on water, agricultural and soil erosion management within a watershed
• Set reading and self study to enable students to understand issues related to watershed management and watershed analysis
• Practical exercises of watershed analysis using different methods including GIS and Remote sensing techniques
• Assignments to encourage leaning by doing, sharing of experience and development of communication skills in presentation of assignment results
• Observation of the reality to the field by field observation through class excursion

Aim of the module

This module provides geospatial techniques and skills  applied to assessment of environmental management issues and environmental effects. This is achieved through the introduction of analytical methods and spatial modelling of environmental effects/factors.

Learning outcomes

Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to:

• Understand and explain the use of GIS for environmental management and monitoring 
• Define the kind of spatial data needed for research/applications related to environmental management
• Understand the steps for the development of (spatial) database and information system for environmental management
• Develop spatial models related to environmental management

The module aims to provide broad, integrated knowledge on key environmental issues, the climate change and sustainable development field. The module covers topics such as environmental principles, environmental challenges and management, the climate system, sustainable development, anthropogenic forcing and climate system response; climate variability and change; international climate change legal frameworks; Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation – providing in-depth coverage of adaption and mitigation from both theoretical and applied points of view.

Upon Completion of this Module students should: 

•  have a reasonable understanding of the definitions of environmental components of earth system, environmental challenges and framework for environmental problems solving
• have a reasonable understanding of climate change issues: causes, consequences and variations
• be able to understand sustainable development concept: has it evolved; the  SDGs 

Lecturers: 

- Dr Theophile Niyonzima

- Dr Gaspard Rwanyiziri