I am Chunsheng Yao from Beijing, China. Before joining MESPOM in 2008, I obtained a bachelor's degree in Geography from Beijing Normal University and a master's degree in Cartology and GIS from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and worked in the field of education for sustainable development for about 4 years.

Recently I was asked to introduce MESPOM to my Chinese fellow in order to attract more outstanding students to apply. Considering the high quality and unique features of MESPOM, I responded agreeably and would like to share my ideas in four aspects.

I come from Kenya and studied at MESPOM in 2006-2008. Before joining MESPOM I worked in the Ministry of Environment of my country. My new job is very exciting and challenging I am the Environment Policy and Compliance Manager for the leading telecommunication company here in Kenya. This is a new position so I am the first environment manager and thus have to set up an environment management system, deal with all environmental complaints from the public, develop environment awareness materials for the consumers as well as the company employees. I have to coordinate both internal and external environment issues.

Prior to joininng MESPOM I had been studying and working in the biodiversity conservation field in South Africa. This was always where I wanted to end up again after finishing MESPOM. During MESPOM studies I tried to focus on topics that I felt would come in useful in this field. I was also lucky enough to focus my MESPOM thesis on the environmental policy relating to the traditional linefishery here in South Africa, which gave me valuable insights into how the small-scale fishing industry in my home country operates. I am glad to say that as a result of my disseration work I have recently been appointed as a capacity development and outreach officer for the Worldwide Fund for Nature's (WWF) sustainable fisheries program.

After having graduated from MESPOM in June 2007 I started my PhD studies at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at Central European University in Budapest. Currently I am in the very beginning of my second year in PhD program, successfully passed my comprehensive exams and have just defended my thesis prospectus.

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.