Biodiversity Monitoring Adviser, REDD+ Community Carbon Pools Programme

Biodiversity Monitoring Adviser, REDD+ Community Carbon Pools Programme
Fauna & Flora International

Salary: Circa EUR 30,000
Start Date: As soon as possible
Duration of Contract: One-year fixed-term contract
Location: Phnom Penh (open for discussion), with regular international travel to Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as required

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.

Working closely with local partners, the Asia-Pacific Programme currently includes a broad range of species and landscape targeted conservation initiatives in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, and has country programme offices in Phnom Penh, Nanning, Jakarta, Manila and Hanoi.  Around 70 projects are being implemented in the region by a team of approximately 200 staff, consultants, volunteers and partner organisations with an annual regional budget of approximately nine million dollars.

Since 2006, FFI has been exploring ways in which emerging Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanisms, including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects,  can be harnessed for the benefit of conservation and local communities.  Building on over 100 years’ experience of working in collaboration with developing country governments, civil society and the corporate sector, we have been developing conservation projects that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whilst improving local livelihoods and conserving biodiversity by securing financing from PES linked markets. During this time we have:

• Helped the Government of Aceh in Indonesia to develop the first REDD project to be approved under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standards.
• Formed a groundbreaking partnership with the Australian investment house, Macquarie Group, to develop at least six REDD projects worldwide with the intention of securing significant ongoing finance for forest conservation through carbon market mechanisms.
• Taken a leading role in assisting the Government of Liberia to undertake REDD readiness activities, in particular in relation to policy and legislative review, institutional capacity strengthening, the design of REDD consultation mechanisms and awareness raising campaigns and the development of a sub-national REDD pilot project

The core idea behind REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries) is to make performance based payments to forest owners to reduce emissions by conserving their forest. Such payments for ecosystem services (PES) can only succeed with clearly defined land tenure and carbon rights. REDD+ therefore requires a broad set of policies that include institutional reforms in the areas of governance, tenure, decentralisation and community forest management (CFM).

A Euro 3 million EU-funded project “Developing community carbon pools for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation, plus enhancing forest carbon stocks (REDD+) projects in selected ASEAN countries” secured by FFI will
contribute to this by supporting local government, local communities and civil society to participate in National, Sub-national and Regional policy dialogues, and by supporting the design and implementation of pilot REDD+ projects, with the aim of establishing social and environmental safeguards and equitable benefit sharing mechanisms.

The project has been designed to build the capacity of local communities and local governments to actively participate in REDD+ pilot projects in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia and feed lessons learned into policy dialogues at Sub-national, National and Regional level. The pilot projects will develop local CFM institutions that comprise equitable, easy to understand, locally devised and implemented rules, with a potential to reduce emissions effectively while providing benefits to forest-dependent local and indigenous people.

FFI is seeking a highly experienced and results-orientated individual with experience in biodiversity monitoring, assessment and protection for FFI’s REDD+ Community Carbon Pool Programme in the Asia- Pacific region. The Biodiversity Monitoring Adviser will support the country teams in biodiversity and forest protection related matters in the pilot sites of the
four programme countries, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.  The successful candidate will have at least 5 years’ experience overseeing development and implementation of biodiversity assessments and monitoring as well as experience in coordination of institutional technical capacity building and inter-project learning. The successful applicant will also have an understanding of REDD+.

S/he will have a higher degree or equivalent training or experience in a relevant discipline such as forest biodiversity conservation. Experience in the Southeast Asia region is required.

For further details and to apply please visit: www.fauna-flora.org/ourvacancies.php 

The closing date for applications is 13^th July 2012.  No agencies please.

FFI values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity