FFI - Community Specialist, Environmental Markets

FFI - Community Specialist, Environmental Markets

Founded in 1903, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is the world’s longest-established international conservation organisation. Our vision is to create a sustainable future for the planet where biodiversity is conserved by the people living closest to it. We aim to do this through the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and take account of human needs. We operate primarily in developing countries where there is little capacity to conserve endangered and threatened habitats and species. We have become a trusted entity in the world of conservation. Today FFI is active in over 40 countries.
MACQUARIE CAPITAL
Macquarie Capital is a leading global investment house with a dedicated Climate Change Investments group. The group was established in 2007 to pursue investment opportunities that will assist the world in responding to the challenge of climate change. The Global Climate Change Practice has dedicated staff in Sydney, London, New York and Hong Kong.
FFI – MACQUARIE TASK FORCE
Approximately twenty percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions are released as a result of tropical deforestation, making it a key contributor to climate change. New developments in the markets for carbon credits offer great opportunities for linking climate change mitigation/ greenhouse gas reductions with conservation of forests and biodiversity, at the same time addressing the governance and human livelihood concerns that have so long been drivers of deforestation.

In response to this, Macquarie Group and FFI have signed a three-year joint working agreement to develop six avoided deforestation projects (Initial Projects) around the globe in conjunction with local governments and communities. These projects will protect forest areas in the Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific region characterised by their significant importance for biodiversity and greenhouse gas storage. We hope that these projects will ultimately generate carbon credits for sale on the voluntary carbon markets. Development of this programme will be driven by a joint FFI and Macquarie Task Force, comprising a select group of experts across finance, law, carbon science, project design, community engagement, policy and support functions. The Task Force will report to a Steering Committee and will coordinate with on-the-ground Project Development Teams in each of the project locations to design and deliver these projects.

At each site, collaboration will be established with local communities and local governments to bring the forests under sustainable management and tackle the drivers of deforestation through the generation of new economic opportunities for forest-dependent communities, improved forest governance, surveillance and law enforcement.

Macquarie will provide capital and financial services for the forest projects, as well as ensuring compliance with carbon standards and selling carbon credits on international markets. FFI will draw on over 100 years of conservation experience to work with local governments and communities to implement the projects.
COMMUNITY SPECIALIST, ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS (FFI-Macquarie Task Force)
FFI is seeking a dynamic individual with proven experience in the management and delivery of multiple and complex projects, strong technical expertise, and excellent communication and administrative skills to lead FFI’s input into the Task Force with regards to community issues and work with key FFI staff to oversee the development of stakeholder engagement processes, incentive mechanisms for reducing deforestation and forest degradation, and governance systems for sharing and delivering benefits from the sale of carbon credits, in a range of contexts. Particular attention will be needed to realise the poverty alleviation potential of avoided deforestation schemes for forest dependent households.

The successful applicant will have strong practical experience at the interface between conservation and development, or experience relevant to either sector, and a degree or equivalent level qualification in a relevant discipline, such as natural resources management, conservation, social sciences, or rural development.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Start Date: As soon as possible
Duration of Contract: 3 years, subject to annual funding review
Probationary Period: 6 months
Salary: Negotiable
Location: Flexible. Possible locations include Cambridge (UK), Melbourne (Australia), Indonesia or Cambodia. Significant overseas travel
Benefits: 25 working days annual holiday entitlement plus Public/Bank Holidays and any normal working days that fall between 24th December to 1st January inclusive, during which time FFI UK offices are closed.

In 2008, FFI is introducing a provision for pension contributions for staff of 8% of salary, which will initially be non-contributory for employees. This will apply to all FFI Cambridge-based staff after completing six months’ continuous employment.

Hours of Work: This is a full-time position, working Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 5.30pm, with a one-hour lunch break, or to suit the hours worked in the visiting country when travelling.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Community Specialist, Environmental Markets (FFI-MacquarieTask Force)
Responsible to: Director, Environmental Markets
The position will report to the Task Force through the Director, Environmental Markets and will work closely with FFI’s Biodiversity and Human Needs team
Responsible for: Not applicable
General Responsibilities:
The Community Specialist will provide leadership and technical support on community related issues to the Task Force, enabling the effective and efficient development of a series of avoided deforestation projects in accordance with the Co-operative Development Agreement between FFI and Macquarie.
Specific Duties:
The Community Specialist will undertake duties relating to development, management, and sharing of lessons learned within the project Task Force and Project Development Teams and in key external fora.
1. Development

* Set Task Force strategy in relation to the design and delivery of community incentive and stakeholder engagement mechanisms to ensure forest conservation at each of the six Initial Project sites, working closely with FFI’s Biodiversity and Human Needs team
* Feed into risk analysis of Initial Projects and flag issues that may result in project failure to the Steering Committee
* Take a lead in, and contribute to, the development of funding proposals for the Initial Projects e.g. World Bank

2. Management

* Lead FFI’s work on community issues the Task Force providing strategic direction and oversight to the team on this issue and acting as a key liaison point for FFI’s senior management team and the Task Force
* Provide the Project Development Teams with clear guidance and technical support to enable effective engagement with key local stakeholders and securing of local community support for the project
* Work with the Project Development Teams to understand local socio-economic incentives for deforestation and to identify appropriate mechanisms to reduce them
* Work with the Project Development Teams to understand local community natural resource use patterns and land tenure/ rights
* Support the Carbon Specialist, Environmental Markets in the design and completion ofthe Project Design Documents with the Project Development Teams at each site
* Draft terms of reference for the commissioning of consultants and work with the Initial Project Development Teams to commission appropriate, locally experienced consultants to support this work as appropriate
* Report back to the Steering Committee on progress in Initial Project development and issues arising

3. Learning (Assessment & Dissemination)

* Track key developments in methodology and approaches to developing avoided deforestation projects with a focus on socio-economic incentives for deforestation, incentive mechanisms for forest conservation, stakeholder consultation and feed this into project design and implementation
* Ensure key issues and lessons learned are shared between projects to ensure increasing efficiency of implementation and that issues arising are quickly flagged throughout the network of Project Development Teams to avoid potential pitfalls
* Share lessons learned within the Task Force, FFI and Macquarie as required
* Document the methodology used above to ensure consistency and transparency of approach
* Feed lessons learned and approaches into key policy fora and link to key influencers to ensure climate change policy is supportive rather than acting against the development of avoided deforestation schemes

PERSON SPECIFICATION
FFI is seeking a dynamic individual with proven experience in the management and delivery of multiple and complex projects, strong technical expertise, and excellent communication and administrative skills to work with key FFI staff to lead FFI’s input into the Macquarie-FFI agreement on community issues and lead on the development of stakeholder engagement processes, incentive mechanisms for reducing deforestation and forest degradation, and
governance systems for sharing and delivering benefits from the sale of carbon credits, in a range of contexts. Particular attention will be needed to realise the poverty alleviation potential of avoided deforestation schemes for forest dependent households.

The successful applicant will have strong practical experience at the interface between conservation and development, or experience relevant to either sector, and a degree or equivalent level qualification in a relevant discipline, such as natural resources management, conservation, social sciences, or rural development.
Essential to the role are:

* A strong understanding of the relationship between conservation and development, and experience of working on these issues at field level
* A strong understanding of the issues surrounding avoided deforestation or the reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation and community engagement
* Experience in the understanding of local drivers for deforestation and developing incentive mechanisms to reduce them with a focus on community-based incentive mechanisms
* Expertise and experience in one or more of the following areas: environmental governance; environmental law; benefit sharing; land tenure issues; human rights; climate change adaptation and mitigation implications for the rural poor.
* An ability to think, plan and manage strategically
* A proven track record of successful delivery of multiple projects against deadline
* Excellent organisational and prioritising skills
* A proven ability to develop relationships with, and secure financial support from multi lateral agencies
* Excellent communication skills, including proposal preparation and report-writing
* Creativity, flexibility, and ability to thrive in a dynamic environment
* Experience in leading a regionally dispersed team, and working as a considerate team player
* Language skills are also desirable.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications consisting of a covering letter explaining why you feel you should be considered for this post, a full CV and contact details for two referees should be sent to:

Natasha Calderwood
FFI-Macquarie Task Force Programme Coordinator, Environmental Markets
Fauna & Flora International (FFI)
4th Floor Jupiter House
Station Road
Cambridge
CB1 2JD
United Kingdom

Or emailed to Natasha.Calderwood@fauna-flora.org

Please mark your application ‘Community Specialist, Environmental Markets’.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 24th September 2008.

Interviews are expected to be held the following week. Candidates selected for interview will be invited by email or phone. Please specify your preferred method of contact in your covering letter and indicate where you saw this position advertised. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. No agencies please.

FFI values diversity and aims to be an equal opportunities employer

Eds. Thanks to Marc-Antoine Dunais for forwarding it.

Konservasi Orangutan Perlu Dipelajari di Sekolah

Sumber: Antara, 08 September 2008

Palangka Raya

Pendidikan tentang konservasi orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) perlu dimasukkan ke dalam kurikulum pelajaran sekolah di Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah (Kalteng) sebagai upaya melestarikan satwa langka tersebut. "Program pendidikan konservasi orangutan dapat dimasukkan dalam kurikulum sekolah, misalnya dalam mata pelajaran muatan lokal," kata Kepala Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (BKSDA) Kalteng, Mega Harianto, pekan lalu, di Palangka Raya.

Sebelumnya, Dinas Pendidikan Provinsi Kalteng pernah menetapkan materi tambahan berupa pelajaran tertib lalu lintas, antikorupsi, dan antinarkoba, meski dalam bentuk kegiatan ekstrakurikuler. Menurut Mega, upaya memasukkan konservasi orangutan ke dalam kurikulum didasari besarnya populasi orangutan di Kalteng yang mencakup 70 persen dari populasi orangutan se-Kalimantan.

Karena itu, katanya, pendidikan konservasi orangutan menjadi salah satu bentuk sosialisasi kepada masyarakat akan pentingnya menjaga habitat satwa yang terancam punah itu. Pengenalan anak sekolah terhadap orangutan dan habitatnya, dinilai cukup efektif untuk menumbuhkan pemahaman tentang perlindungan populasi orangutan.
Perburuan
Pendidikan serupa diharapkan juga dapat dilakukan kepada masyarakat lokal yang masih mengonsumsi daging orangutan, karena perburuan orangutan sebagai bahan makanan telah mengancam kepunahan satwa itu. Konservasi orangutan, lanjutnya, tidak hanya menjadi tanggung jawab institusi yang bekerja pada bidang konservasi alam, melainkan juga melibatkan semua pihak serta institusi terkait.

Kalangan aktivis lingkungan sebelumnya menyoroti mulai menghilangnya sejumlah satwa langka yang merupakan spesies endemis Kalteng dalam beberapa tahun terakhir akibat minimnya program konservasi satwa dari pemerintah. [Ant/M-15]

Awasi Perdagangan Satwa Langka

Sumber: Pontianak Post, 06 September 2008

Sambas

Pemerintah melalui instansi terkait diminta untuk mengawasi kegiatan perdagangan satwa secara illegal. “Terlebih satwa langka yang dilindungi, pemerintah tidak boleh kecolongan,” tegas Ketua Yayasan Pesisir Mul’am Husairi, kepada Pontianak Post kemarin, di Sambas.

Diantara satwa yang dibawa keluar yaitu penyu, kura-kura, ular, dan lainnya. Pernyataan tersebut disampaikan, jelas Mul’am, terkait adanya pengaduan warga bahwa di Sambas berlangsung aktivitas penjualan satwa langka. Modusnya adalah dengan membawanya bersama ikan yang akan dijual ke luar negeri. “Informasinya satwa tersebut ditimbun sehingga tak kelihatan,” ungkapnya.

Menurut Ketua Yayasan Pesisir aparat tidak boleh memberikan toleransi terhadap permasalahan penjualan satwa ini. Karena hal tersebut dapat mengancam kelestariannya. Terlebih lagi, katanya, kategori kelangkaan satwa itu bukan hanya di tingkat nasional, melainkan dunia.

Jika lamban disikapi dengan serius, tandas Mul’am, tak mustahil imbasnya sangat tidak baik bagi bangsa ini. Indonesia bisa menjadi bulan-bulanan masyarakat internasional karena dianggap tidak mampu menjaga satwa yang habitatnya ada di wilayahnya. “Jadi sekali lagi Saya pikir, ini persoalan serius yang tidak bisa dibiarkan,” ujarnya.

Begitupun pelakunya nanti apabila ketahuan, imbuh Ketua Yayasan Pesisir, wajib untuk diberikan sanksi tegas. Aparat terkait, apapun dalih dan kepentingannya, tegas Mul’am, jangan pernah sedikitpun memberikan toleransi. Sebab persoalannya sudah bukan lagi berskala lokal, melainkan perhatian internasional.

Penegasan senada disampaikan Heri Muslimin, dari Forum Pencinta Lingkungan. Ia berharap perhatian terhadap masalah alam sekitar, termasuklah biota yang ada di dalamnya dilakukan dengan lebih intens oleh pemerintah. “Kadang masalah lingkungan Kita mengganggapnya sebagai hal biasa. Padahal imbasnya adalah beberapa tahun kedepan,” ujarnya.(mur)