I have just received an offer with the CDM Registration & Issuance Unit under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Unit is based in the UNFCCC's secretariat, Bonn, Germany, and is responsible for the registration of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects and for the issuance of certified emission reduction (CERs) credits, under the CDM Executive Board that oversees the whole CDM system. I will be working on the issuance side as much of my past year's experience with my current company, EcoSecurities, a market leader in the CDM field, relates to CDM project monitoring & verification.

I am currently working for UNDP Bolivia, writing for the Human Development Report (HDR) 2008. I do research and analysis on the environmental and local socio-economic impacts of biofuels expansion, mining activities and development projects in Bolivia such as road and hydroelectric dams development.

The sound of MESPOM and the dynamic nature of the international degree provide a comfort to me. For the past few years, after pursuing in a number of graduate programmes from Australia and Pacific, I feel this programme holds a value to anyone seeking international exposure in broader environmental issues. My life experiences from growing up in a small island environment, where adaptability to externalities is a constant demand of life, has influenced my interest in environmental issues. We have had many social and economic problems due to our reliance on limited natural resources and had varying priorities and constraints.

Perhaps some of you have recently heard about the dilemma facing elephant management in South Africa, particularly the burgeoning population in Kruger National Park, and the proposal to reinstate elephant culling as a measure to control populations. If you are interested in this debate, and want to learn more, I wanted to let you know that we recently completed a 'Scientific Assessment of South African Elephant Management' which was submitted to the Minister of Environmental Affairs & Tourism in December 2007.

My name is Njisuh Zebedee Feka from Cameroon. With over 240 ethnic groups, this country is generally referred to as Africa in miniature because of its diversity of ecosystems people and varied climate. Starting with stunning hot deserts and savannas in the north, the eco-zones change gradually to tropical humid forests to the south, with a fair extent of degraded low-lying mangrove forests. The landscapes on which these ecosystems flourish are also diverse –hills, mountains chains, plateaus, extensive low lands to the majestic volcanic Cameroon Mountain.

After graduating with an honours degree in botany and ecology from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, I was looking for a chance to improve my understanding of the environmental field outside of South Africa. MESPOM has been a great opportunity to meet other people from all over the world and gain new perspectives on what the environmental field is really all about.

Lydia Press tragically died in a climbing accident during holidays in French Alps on May 2nd, 2008. The MESPOM community is in deep sorrow because of this terrible loss. Here is the Daily Mail article about Lydia and what has happened (see also The Sun). Tributes and photos can be shared here or at Lasting Tribute. A memorial gathering to celebrate Lydia's life will take place at 2 pm on Friday, May 9th, 2008 in Popper Room, CEU.

I came to MESPOM from the UK, looking for the environmental masters with a difference. I wanted to integrate my scientific academic background with wider environmental and sustainability issues in the company of like-minded people from all over the world, and learn from their different cultures and experiences at the same time. I studied Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford, completing my masters there in collaboration with the University of Manchester. My thesis was based on fieldwork I had undertaken with an NGO in Cambodia studying natural contamination of groundwater with arsenic, and biogeochemical analysis of Bengali aquifer sediments. I presented this work at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Cologne in August 2007, and hope to work again on water supply issues.