Marine Conservation Practitioner

The marine conservation practitioner V is responsible for providing scientific and capacity building support to TNC staff and local partners who are working on marine conservation programs in Choiseul and Isabel Province. S/he will have a particular focus on working with partners such as the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities, the Isabel Council of Chiefs, and the Choiseul and Isabel provincial fisheries departments, to build their technical capacity in running community-based monitoring programs for the Marine Protected Areas that are being established in both provinces. The Marine Conservation Officer will also from time to time provide and practical support to the Arnavons Marine Conservation Area Project. The candidate will require practical experience in the monitoring of reef fishes, macro invertebrates and coral cover, and in particular, be experienced and confident in teaching community based monitoring methods, data handling and feedback procedures to rural communities.  

S/he will also lead the Fisheries Management Strategy for The Nature Conservancy Solomon Islands program, ensuring that the Ecosystems Approach to Fisheries (EAF) is fully integrated into the MPA strategies at community and provincial levels in Choiseul and Isabel.  A component of  this will involving determine which marine resources are effectively protected MPA strategies, and which species would achieve better protection via an EAF strategy.  S/he will also work with other TNC staff to ensure that the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) is being adopted by Solomon Islands government. 

 S/he will collaborates in the preparation of annual workplans, budgets, technical reports, monitoring and evaluation of the marine project and directly oversees some of the on-the-ground implementation activities.  S/he informs the Solomon Islands Program Manager about project status and maintains open communications with local government institutions, international and national NGO’s and other groups working in the area to promote an integrated coordination of the project.  

Specific duties of the Conservation practitioner will include: 

• Build the technical capacity of key partners (LLCTC and ICC) to run community-based MPA monitoring programs
• Coordinating community based monitoring training workshops in both provinces
• Participate in scientific  monitoring programs with other TNC and partner staff in the Solomon Islands as required
• Ensure that EAF principles are full integrated into community-based MPA work in both Choiseul and Isabel province
• Ensure that the Solomon Islands government is being adopted by government to manage national coastal fisheries
• Provide input into the management of turtle and databases at marine projects the Arnavons and Sasakolo  in the Solomon Islands.
•   Any other duties within the scope of the job description required and delegated by the supervisor.