THE INSTITUTE OF BIODIVERSITY AND NON-PROFIT STUDIES (IBINS)

by TANGWING PIUS MONJI
(BUEA)

THE INSTITUTE OF BIODIVERSITY AND NON-PROFIT STUDIES (IBINS)
P.O. Box 189
Mile18, Muea Road
Buea,SW Cameroon.
Email:info@ibinsconservation.org
Tel:+23793311292,+23776570229.
www.erudefconservation.org

It is the training and capacity building Division of the Environment and Rural Development Foundation.
The common view expressed by many employers has been that there are a large number of job seekers but professionals are lacking. Job seekers are getting more and more frustrated by prospective employers asking for years of experience.
In order to bridge this gap, ERuDeF-(IBiNS) is designed to provide on the edge professional training at undergraduate and post-graduate levels in Cameroon and abroad.

The University provides the theoretical basis of students up-bringing, but IBiNS provides the professional and practical basis of their professional insertion into both the job market and academic fields.

All programmes at IBiNS are academically intensive, research focused and challenging and are therefore not meant for those who are academically weak.

The programme gives you a chance to explore opportunities in the area of conservation, biodiversity management and non-profit development in the non-profit world.
Students come out of this programme as a self-made graduate capable of funding and piloting his/her own career and programmes. Even if you cannot gain employment, you should be able to at least, raise funds to set up and manage a project.

IBiNS in collaboration with ERuDeF International Volunteering Programme (IVP) will work together to receive both national and international students including conservation enthusiasts on an annual basis from 2 weeks to 12 months.

VISION
IT seeks to provide leading edge and holistic professional training in conservation and development sciences to the future cream of conservation and development leaders.

MISSION
IT seeks to train a cream of young leaders in conservation science and in the art of conservation and development management.

COURSE OFFERED INCLUDE;
- Biodiversity Conservation,
- Economic Analysis of projects,
- Botany and Agro Forestry,
- Translation and Communication,
- Non-profit Studies, ,
- Project Management,
- Biodiversity Management & Conservation,
- Grants and Philanthropy Development,
- Social Sciences,
- Anthropology of Apes,
- Protected area Development and Management, etc

THE CORE PROGRAMMES WILL INCLUDE:
1)BiodiversityManagement
2)Primates’Conservation
3)Non-ProfitStudies
4)CommunicationfortheEnvironment
5)ProfessionalandScientificReporting
6)Birds’Conservation
7)FisheriesandMangroveEcosystems
8)MountainsandHydrology
9)Eco-tourismandConservation
10)HabitatsRestorationandSoilHealthManagement
11)Eco-tourismandConservation
12)HabitatsRestorationandSoilHealthManagement
13)ForestryandBotanicalConservation
14)Socio-Economics
15)PoliticalEcology
16)EnvironmentalImpactAssessment

Other Courses within the Gap Year Programme
Within the Gap Year Programme, some diploma courses will also be offered in partnership with our international partners. These courses include but not limited to diplomas in; Fundraising, Endangered species management, Bird study, NGO management.

Fees for these specific and challenging courses will be arranged with our international partners.

Environmental Journalism
This programme targets Journalists, Reporters and students in journalism schools to train them in the art of practice of environmental journalism.
The programme will also support the growth of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Cameroon.

The programme will focus on Writing and publishing environmental news, Environmental sciences and conservation, Forest sciences, Environmental documentaries, Ecosystem management, Species ecology, Growth of environmental journalism in Cameroon and in the world, Investigative reporting, field expeditions, etc. it is offering a Diploma programme.

It also offers postgraduate research programmes in the area of biodiversity, conservation management, ecological restoration, forestry/agro-forestry, socio-economics, political ecology, non-profit studies, grants writing and politics of fundraising, bushmeat, eco-tourism and climate change.

Currently, IBiNS is not yet awarding postgraduate certificates but works with the corresponding universities to support the research work of the prospective students. While the partner university provides the academic supervision, IBiNS provides the professional and technical supervision.

• CORE RESEARCH PROGRAMMES AT IBINS
The following research areas will be promoted at the Institute.
- Primates Research
- Ecotourism and Conservation Research
- Ornithology Research
- Mountain and Hydrology Research
- Applied Social Sciences Research
- Forests and Climate Change Research
- Marine Conservation Research
- Political Ecology Research
- Agro-forestry and Soil Health Research
- Amphibians, Reptiles

and Insects Research

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Prospective candidates are expected to have fulfilled the following conditions namely:
i) Have obtained an approved supervisor in his/her current university,
ii) Have a research proposal already defended in his/her department,
iii) Have approached ERuDeF/IBiNS to finalise his/her research proposal at least 12 months prior to taking up the research position,
iv) Will undergo another successful pre-research defence at ERuDeF/IBiNS in the presence of IBiNS invited supervisor from a partner university alongside his/ her supervisor before finally being accepted to conduct research at the Institute,
vii) Accept to defend the first draft of his/work at the Institute in the presence of the Institute externally invited supervisor before submitting final draft to his university,
viii) Before the final submission of the final thesis to the university, she/he is expected to have made at least two publications at the Institute,
ix) The ERuDeF/Institute’s will always be the first author to all of the publications resulting from the students work.
COMPULSORY TRAINING PROGRAMS
It is compulsory for all post graduate students to undergo the following courses at the Institute namely i) grants writing and non-profit management, ii) scientific writing and publishing, iii) biometrics and data analysis, iii) professional writing and reporting, iv) conservation biology.
•Duration of the Research Programmes
There is no specified duration of research.
•Funding of Research
Research fees will vary depending on the programme and duration.
•Funding of the Research Programmes
The funding for the research programmes could come from several sources namely.
•Deadlines for Submission of Applications
Applications will be evaluated in quarterly Graduate Committee meetings scheduled for March, June, September and December of each year.
•Starting dates of the Research Programme
Once the prospective candidate has fulfilled the entry requirements, and approved by the Institute’s Graduate Committee, she/he will be expected to start the research programme within the following 30 days.

NGO TRAINING CENTER
NGO studies are still relatively new in Cameroon and most African countries. NGO or non-profit studies concentrate on the scientific study of NGOs, NGO governance, funding of NGOs, growth of NGOs in the South and North and the study of the Cameroon NGO and/or civil society industry.

CENTRE FOR CONSERVATION EDUCATION
The course will be divided into three modules namely:
i) Conservation science-based curriculum development,
ii) Wildlife arts and
iii) Geographic Information Systems.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
WILDLIFE ARTS
This course is designed to help improve the capacity of both teachers and students to produce and use wildlife arts to advance conservation education in Cameroon. Annual exhibitions of these works of arts will be done in Buea and other locations in the country. This course will be a one week training course that will be organized relatively between Lebialem and Buea. A maximum of 20 students from both primary and secondary education will be trained annually through this course.

FEES
Fees for Gap year Programmes
*Nationals:
-For non Biological courses: 900,000 FCFA
-For Biological /Forestry Courses: 1,500,000 FCFA
*International students:
-Varies from FCFA 900,000 - 7,000,000
*Fee for Post Graduate Research Programmes:
-Nationals: FCFA 900.000 - 2.500.000
-Internationals: FCFA 5.000.000 - 7.000.000
*NGO training Programs
-Fees: 1,000,000 FCFA
*Career development Planning
-Fees: 400,000 FCFA
*Certified Environmental Educationist
-Fees: 1,000,000 FCFA
*Other Diploma Courses
- Fees: 1,000,000 FCFA

Application is done online and there after the form is printed and sent to the institution on or before September 30th of each year to allow sufficient time for processing of the documents.
Other to accompany the application form include;
-A filled application form from ERuDeF,
-Copy of Degree and/or equivalent diploma,
-Two Referee letters from relevant professionals,
-A medical certificate of physical fitness from ERuDeF designated medical doctor.
-A letter of motivation
-A certificate of English proficiency and an application processing fee of FCFA 10,000 for ordinary applicants and FCFA 20,000 for followships.