Project Associate - “Assessment of Cumulative Impacts of Hydroelectric Projects on Aquatic and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Basins, Uttarakhand”

Short-term Engagement of Personnel for project on “Assessment of Cumulative Impacts of Hydroelectric Projects on aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Basins, Uttarakhand” 

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is a premier national autonomous Institute of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoE&F), Government of India for teaching, training and research in the field of wildlife science. The WII wishes to engage on a purely contractual basis Project Associate (One position), Project Personnel    (Four positions), Project Assistant (Four positions) through a Walk-in-Interview to be held on December 22^nd, 2010. The details of the project and positions along with essential and desirable qualifications, terms and conditions and procedures to apply are given below.

            PROJECT ASSOCIATE (One position)

Essential Qualifications: Masters degree in Botany/Zoology/ Forestry/Life Science/Environment Sciences/ Biological Sciences/ Wildlife Sciences with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks and a doctoral degree in any of the above subjects from a recognised university preferably on a topic relevant to the project.

 

Desirable Qualifications:  Knowledge of conducting ecological/habitat assessments, wildlife surveys, inventorying of bio resources and land-use assessments. Proven experience of working on projects related to the assessment of biodiversity related impacts of developments projects in any of the key development sectors (e.g. hydropower, mining and transportation) on biodiversity and people. Published research work and capability of conducting  independent research work and organizing team work.

 

Description of Work: The job would involve-Reviewing hydropower development plans of Uttarakhand; Connecting and integrating the key outputs of the environmental impact assessment studies of various existing and proposed hydroelectric projects on aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins in Uttarakhand; Generating a composite assessment of cumulative impacts on terrestrial and riverine ecosystem components and habitats; Providing strategic planning support to the river basin planning and management that integrates landscape protection plan, river conservation strategies and protection of Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) wildlife species and their habitats in the two river basins.

 

The assignment also involves undertaking computer-aided data analysis, ecological modelling and generating alternative scenarios using GIS. The selected candidate will coordinate  a team of Project Personnels and Project Assistants (Total 8) and will liaise with the faculty team and also interact with other scientific institutions/individuals related to this study.  Extensive field work will be involved in difficult and harsh terrain.

 

Gross Emoluments:   Rs 25000/ month

Period :  Nine months from the date of engagement

Age: The candidate should be below 40 years of age on the stipulated date of interview at WII. Age relaxation up to a maximum of 5 years would be available to the candidates belonging to SC/STOBC/Women and physically handicapped categories.

 

PROJECT PERSONNEL (Four Positions)

i.        Project Personnel – 1 (Vegetation Science)

 

Essential Qualifications: Masters Degree in Botany/Forestry/Wildlife Science with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks from a recognized University.

 

Desirable Qualifications:  Knowledge of plant taxonomy and vegetation ecology; working experience in field botany for inventorying plant resources and evaluating people’s dependency on natural resources. Adequate skills for computer aided data management and analysis.

 

Description of Work: The job would involve- Generation of baseline data and characterisation of the river basins on the basis of floral attributes, plant association and community structure; recognition of ethno-botanical resources and mosaics of habitats for RET species of terrestrial and aquatic birds and mammals;

 

Assessment of likely impacts of hydropower development on forest structure, composition and habitat quality due to anticipated changes in hydrology and river flows, alteration in land use, creation of impoundments and rehabilitation of human population;

Defining conservation priorities and proposing mitigation oriented plans for addressing threats to RET taxa, important plant communities and forest based resources in the two river basins in the state of Uttarakhand.

 

Extensive field work will be involved in difficult and harsh terrain.

 

Gross Emoluments:  Rs 15000/ month

 

Period:  Nine months from the date of engagement

 

ii.      Project Personnel –1 (Wildlife biology)

 

Essential Qualifications:  Masters Degree in Botany/Zoology/Life Science/Forestry/Wildlife Science with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks from a recognized University.

 

Desirable Qualifications:  Knowledge of animal ecology and experience of conducting wildlife surveys with specific focus on terrestrial and aquatic birds and mammals. Adequate skills for computer aided data management and analysis.

 

Description of Work:  Generation of baseline data and characterisation of the forest areas within the two river basins on the basis of faunal richness and delineation of suitable habitats, migratory/dispersal corridors in the context of RET species of aquatic and terrestrial birds and mammals known to occur in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basins of Uttarakhand; Assessment of cumulative impacts on species distribution and integrity of habitats of RET species (e.g otters, weasels and fishing cats) as a result of changes in hydrology and land use and submergence of natural habitats under existing and proposed hydropower development schemes in Uttarakhand; Defining conservation priorities and proposing mitigation oriented plans for addressing threats to conservation of RET species  especially otters, weasels and fishing cats. Extensive field work will be involved in difficult and harsh terrain.

 

Gross Emoluments:  Rs 15000/ month

 

Period: Nine months from the date of engagement

 

iii.    Project Personnel – 1 (River ecology)

 

Essential Qualification:  Masters Degree in /Zoology/Life Science/ Fisheries/Wildlife Science/ with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks from a recognized University.

 

Desirable Qualification:   Knowledge of fish biology and river ecology, experience of conducting aquatic surveys with a special focus on survey of fish fauna. Adequate skills for computer aided data management and analysis.

 

Description of Work:  Generation of baseline data through survey of the river stretches for delineating zones of high fish diversity and abundance and characterising special habitats commanding importance as wetland conservation areas in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basins of Uttarakhand; development of inventories and evaluation of production potential of streams and rivers.

 

Assessment of cumulative impacts of changes in hydrology and river flow on stream characteristics; habitat quality and contiguity; upstream and downstream migration of RET  fish species such as golden mahseer and snow trout; spawning and  breeding success;

 

Determining conservation priorities and proposing species/habitat conservation and/recovery/reintroduction plans to avoid and address hydropower development induced threats to conservation of RET species, particularly the golden mahseer. Extensive field work will be involved in difficult and harsh terrain.

 

Gross Emoluments:  Rs 15000/ month

 

Period:  Nine months from the date of engagement

 

iv.     Project Personnel – 1 (Biodiversity Inclusive Impact Assessment )

 

Essential Qualifications:  Masters Degree in Botany/Zoology/Life Science/Environmental Science/Wildlife Science/with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks from a recognized University.

 

Desirable Qualifications:   Knowledge of impact assessment process and valuation framework, working experience of designing and conducting biodiversity inclusive impact assessment studies in any of the key development sectors (e.g. energy projects, water resources and associated infrastructure, mining and transportation etc). Adequate skills for undertaking computer aided ecological modelling, spatial analysis and  developing GIS based outputs

 

Description of Work:  The task inter-alia involves­­ - Integration of information on all biophysical aspects of the study to create knowledge base maps and analytical models; Weight scaling and ranking of key impacts of hydropower development in the two river basin. Delineation of “Zone of Influence” (ZoI) surrounding different dam sites and identifying areas of overlaps between different ZoI. Determination of risks in the ZoI in relation to changes in habitat size and quality, impacts of river flows on river ecosystems and biodiversity.

 

Profiling cumulative impacts of the hydropower development on biodiversity in relation to the existence of RET species in the ZoI and the proportion of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) falling within the different ZoI. Providing relevant inputs in the integration of biodiversity conservation in the environmental management of river basin development in response to energy planning in hydropower sector of the state. Extensive field work will be involved in difficult and harsh terrain.

 

Gross Emoluments:  Rs 15000/ month

 

Period:  Nine months from the date of engagement

 

    PROJECT ASSISTANT – (Four Positions)

Essential Qualifications: M.Sc. in Botany/ Zoology/Biological Sciences/Sociology/Wildlife Science/Forestry/Environmental sciences with a minimum of 55% aggregate marks from a recognized University.

 

Desirable Qualifications:  Candidates should  have knowledge and working experience of collecting data/information on floral and faunal species; conducting terrestrial and aquatic surveys focussed on  mammals, birds and fishes; inventorying natural resources;  assessing land use changes, and  monitoring  their socio economic and cultural impacts. Adequate computer skills for recording and analysing field data and other secondary data.

 

Description of Work:  Project Assistants will be required to assist Project Personnel,  Project Associate and faculty team in accomplishing the work described above under each of the specific components.

 

Extensive field work will be involved in difficult and harsh terrain.

 

Gross Emoluments:  Rs 8000/ month

 

Period:  Nine months from the date of engagement

 

 

GENERAL:

1.       The candidate shall not be more than 28 years of age on the date of Walk-in Interview for the award of Project Personnel and Project Assistant positions. Upper age limit for  may be relaxed up to 5 years,  in case of candidates  belonging to SC/ST/OBC/Women and physically handicapped categories.

2.       Project Associate/Personnel/Assistant may be allowed hostel accommodation at the Institute, as per availability. In case hostel accommodation is notavailable , house rent allowance (HRA) will be paid as per the rules of the Institute. Other allowances and benefits to the Research Personnel would be admissible as per the rules of the Institute, amended from time to time.

3.       Engagement on the above positions will be purely on a temporary basis initially and may be extended for further period(s) depending upon the requirement and the tenure of project and satisfactory performance.

4.       The selection of the candidates will be based on Walk-in-Interview to be held on 22^nd December, 2010   at the Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun and the registration of candidates will begin at 0930 hrs.

5.       Canvassing in any form is liable to rejection of the candidature.

6.       Candidates should bring the duly filled-in applications with attested true copies of testimonials of educational qualifications, research experience, extracurricular activities, date of birth etc., along with copies of mark sheets of all examinations. All original documents should be produced at the time of registration.

7.       Applications without enclosures and/or incomplete in any respect shall be liable to rejection.

8.       Two way travel expenses will be paid to the candidates, selected for the project. The expense will be limited to actual 2nd class rail/bus fare by the shortest route from his/her place of stay/residence.

9.       The Institute will not provide accommodation for candidates appearing for the interview.

10.    The application form can be downloaded from the Institute’s website www.wii.gov.in.

11.    The Director, WII reserves the right to reject any candidature in view of incomplete information provided by the candidate or for any other reason.