Course Overview.
Coastal management can be described as those measures put in place to protect coastal and marine environments. The coastal environment can be simply defined as the area lying at the interface between sea and land. The marine environment on the other hand is that environment within the sea, ocean and other large water bodies including their interaction with the land and the atmosphere as well. Professionals in this field may be referred to as coastal management specialists, marine biologists or marine resource managers among other titles. Coastal management specialists design and implement management programs aimed at conservation of biological diversity within coastal and marine environments. Coastal and marine environments are constantly affected by wind, ocean currents, waves, wind, rainfall and tidal movements. The ocean covers over 70% of the earth surface and is an important resource of life, precious resources and food.
Despite all these benefits associated with coastal and marine environments, coastal areas are under extreme pressure from human activities such as; pollution, urban growth, tourism, resorts development, commercial fisheries, recreation among other pressures. This requires development of competent manpower who can manage coastal and marine environments for sustainable growth. The Bachelor of Science in Coastal & Marine Resource Management has been developed towards this cause. Graduates of the course will be equipped with the skills and knowledge required to enhance and protect the coastal fragile natural resources by minimising conflicts between competing water and land uses through a comprehensive approach to managing the impacts of development and other activities on coastal areas in a more sustainable approach.
Entry Qualifications.
For self sponsored students, at least a mean grade of C+ in KCSE. For Government sponsored students, the minimum cut point which is announced annually applies. The students should in addition have good performance in the following cluster subjects; Subject 1 BIO, Subject 2 CHE Subject 3, MAT A or PHY or GEO, Subject 4 ENG/KIS or 3rd GROUP II or a GROUP III or any GROUP IV or any GROUP V.
Becoming a coastal management specialist
If you are passionate about the coastal& marine environment, are interested in marine or aquatic sciences and want to start a career that can help in protecting and managing coastal ecosystems in a sustainable approach, then pursuing this course may be a good choice for you. In addition, you should be prepared to develop skills that can help you succeed in this field.
Coastal management specialists must have curiosity, interest and appreciation of different forms of coastal and marine life to make their work worthwhile. They also need to be able to use sound logic and reasoning to solve problems affecting costal and marine ecosystems. The work of these professionals may involve working with other people and should therefore have good interpersonal skills to excel in a team environment and effectively deal with difference in opinion.
Those working in laboratories must have good research and experimental skills to ensure, experiments are conducted with accuracy and precision. Coastal management specialists must also have good communication skills both oral and written in order to communicate effectively with other people.
Work environment.
Coastal management specialists may find working in diverse environments including; laboratories, office, field including collecting underwater samples, classroom among other areas.
Career opportunities
Coastal management specialists may be employed within public and private sectors, they can find employment in areas such as; research laboratories & universities, aquariums & zoos, museums, academia, seaweed growing companies, marine biology consulting companies, Non-profit environmental advocacy organizations, eco-tourism companies and conservation agencies among other areas. Graduates can also use their creativity and start their own businesses.
You may explore these courses
Bachelor of Science in Applied Aquatic Science
Bachelor of Science in Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Technology
Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Resources Conservation and Development, With IT (unfeatured)