Every environment is surrounded by traditional people who have lived in the geographic location for a long time and use their particular knowledge to cohabit with the natural ecosystem. This study assessed challenges encountered towards tree conservation by the Rendille pastoral community in Kenya. Selected tree species; Olea europaea, Terminalia sp. and Hyphaene compressa, that are commonly used by the community were identified and the probable threats towards their conservation. Some of these tree conservation challenges by the indigenous Rendille were: charcoal burning and fuel wood consumption, demand of traditional tree medicinal value, climate variability extremes and demand for land for settlement by the community. The results indicate that, charcoal burning (84.4%) and demand for traditional tree medicine (77.3%) were leading causes frustrating tree conservation among the Rendille. To mitigate these challenges, the respondents indicated that, creation of awareness (89.1%) and promotion of other sources of fuel (78.9%) could be vital factors. The study recommends Integration of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) with formal education to enhance conservation of the mentioned tree species.

Policies are imperative in assessing how certain proposed actions or practices can be implemented. In the context of the circular economy, public policies have been influential in determining the way practices are adopted and implemented. In specific contexts, policies can be used to assess a country's preparedness to transition to the circular economy by examining how those that are formulated support the transition. This study examines Kenya's circular economy policy landscape by looking at the strides made by the country to embrace the concept and principles of the circular economy and focusing on the policies formulated so far. Using the thematic analysis approach, the study examines relevant circular economy laws, policies, and regulations to capture the initiatives the country has taken to embrace circular economy principles. The study's overall finding points to environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, sustainable economic development, and stakeholder engagement as the four primary policy areas shaping Kenya's transition to a circular economy. However, there persist certain obstacles to the effective implementation of circular economy principles. These challenges encompass the prevailing dominance of the government in the circular economy sector, which ought to be a collaborative endeavor involving both the private and public sectors. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of financing mechanisms to support circular economy initiatives, inadequate infrastructure to effectively implement circular economy practices, and a lack of capacity to propel progress in both the public and private sectors. Given that many of these challenges revolve around the financial aspect, the study recommends that the Kenyan government considers providing financial incentives to foster dynamism in harnessing the environmental and economic potential offered by the emerging circular economy.

Soil erosion is a serious environmental and natural resource issue in Ethiopia, posing a significant threat to agricultural productivity and being one of the principal drivers of land degradation and soil fertility reduction. Evaluating the biophysical soil and water conservation structures’ effectiveness in Offa Woreda, Wolaita Zone, was the focus of the study. Purposive sampling was used to select the three kebeles that make up this watershed. W/Dekeya, Wareza, and Yakima are the three watersheds chosen for the selected study area. To meet the objective of this study, 504, 325, and 442 family heads were sampled. They comprised the overall 17% (227) of the study participants that were selected. Those who knew how to conserve soil and water, causes of degradation, and sensitive areas of their own plots of land in the study area received preference. The lack of capital, a short stretch of land, and various socioeconomic and physical conditions impeded the use of soil and water conservation systems. As a result, farmers have a reasonable position of the current biophysical soil and water conservation systems. Farmers in the study communities are aware of some traditional soil and water conservation practices as a measure to protect and restore the fertility and productivity of their farmlands. Community participation in encouraging farmers to participate in soil and water conservation practices is critical to resolving the issue of cutting-edge poverty, food insecurity, and environmental deterioration. From the study, we recommend that the government implements specific coverage and techniques as well as corrective intervention from nongovernmental organizations.

Dodders are cosmopolitan generalist holoparasites that forage on a community of plant species ranging from shrubs, trees and herbaceous. In this study, we employ mixed method research design that involved use of questionnaires and dodder host sampling matrix. Host identification and naming was carried out by ecological Android PlantNet Plant App version 3.0.5. Respondents sample size was determined by Krejcie and Morgan sampling formula. Results show that dodder was fast spreading through spatial retrospective satellite Landsat imagery analysis. Dodder was known by the majority of respondents (97.1%) where the exploratory analysis score shows that respondents' constituency of residence influenced their understanding of dodder (F(5, 361) = 5.329, P = 0.000). The mode of parasitism between dodder & the hosts varied as some ornamental trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants were either affected moderately or extremely. The study recommends use of biotechnological dodder control approaches through transgenic plants biotechnology and plant breeding to develop resistance towards dodder plant parasites.

Higher education institutions play a pivotal role in instilling green economy and sustainable development principles in students. There are complex environmental challenges, and breaking through this complexity necessitates the incorporation of green economy learning to assist students in understanding these complex connections. This study explores the inculcation of interdisciplinary learning at the Master's level of assessed green economy aspects among ten schools. It explores green economy topics in courses and the degree of action-oriented learning. Results from the total respondents (N=227), indicate, among the existing green aspects in sampled schools, the sustainable use of natural resources (n=108, 47.6%) thematic area was the most dominant across the Master's courses. Examination of green learning in schools shows a disparity amongst schools where the school with the most examined green aspects was engineering and technology (93.8%) with the school of economics as least examined (75%). Cumulatively, green aspects, even with skewed disparity, were taught across the ten schools (p = 0.000). It is recommended that university programs should enhance regular reviews of curriculum and coursework in different disciplines, to set precedence on emerging green economy studies and their relevance.