Contribution of Higher Education Institutions in Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development: An Example of Nangarhar University

Yasin Mumtaz¹, Rashid Mumtaz², and Ashutosh Shukla¹

1. Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Ryukyus University, Japan

2. Department of Environmental Engineering, IHE Delft, Netherlands

Abstract: The environment which has provided a kind shelter for humanity has never been treated equally or even reasonably. The world has witnessed the most significant loss of its time by losing an integral part of Amazon tropical forests, as they were on fire just recently. Humans’ selfish act has posed a threat not to themselves but also millions of species living a symbiotic life with us. To solve environmental issues and to spread awareness regarding this, Higher education institutions have played and are currently playing a significant role. Higher education has changed people’s perspectives in many ways; it has caused a significant boost of economies and made people aware of their surroundings. Higher education institutions have launched massive experimental studies and research to minimize human activities’ impact on their environment. Furthermore, higher education institutions have included environmental studies as an integral part of studies for students, and curriculums are set specially to pursue a safe environment goal. Nangarhar University is the second-largest university in the western region of Afghanistan, intending to make the environment safe through their rich study curriculum, environmental campaigns, and environmental safeguard projects. This paper aims to assess the efforts of higher education institutions in environment safeguard and natural resources management.