Biodiversity Conservation and Outreach Associate (For Kyrgyzstan Nationality Only)

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Wednesday 8 Mar 2023 at 23:59 UTC

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Contract

This is a NPSA-7 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about NPSA-7 contracts.

Background

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

The Western Tian Shan (WTS) is one of the world’s 200 priority ecoregions and one of 34 global biodiversity hotspots. The Western Tian Shan fauna and flora are characterized by high diversity and concentration in a relatively small area. In terms of flora, higher plants number more than 2,500 species, and endemism of the flora is 12%; vertebrates number well over 400 species. However, many of the Western Tian Shan’s species and unique ecosystems are threatened by poor forest and land management. The region is home to 54 Red List plant species, and 27 Red List species of fauna, including the snow leopard.

The forests of the Western Tian Shan have juniper, spruce, maple, nut, fruit, and tugai forest communities, including fruit and nut wild relatives, but the regions forest resources are shrinking. These forests suffer from inadequate forest management and enforcement, and are degraded by intensive land use, such as overgrazing of forest pastures. The rate of natural regeneration and reforestation is unable to keep pace with the rate of forest degradation. The grassland areas of the Western Tian Shan are subject to extensive, uncontrolled agro-pastoral land use. Growing livestock numbers lead to extensive unregulated use of mountainous grasslands for grazing and causes high disturbance to wild ungulates such as argali and ibex, key snow leopard prey species. The rangelands of Western Tian Shan are susceptible to overgrazing, droughts, and inadequate natural regeneration in the face of these pressures. Today, over 60% of pastures in Western Tian are eroded and the quality of pastures has declined by four times compared to 1980s levels.

To respond to some of these challenges, UNDP in partnership with Government of the Kyrgyz Republic through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) support have been implementing ” Conservation of globally important biodiversity and associated land and forest resources of Western Tian Shan mountain ecosystems to support sustainable livelihoods” (hereinafter WTS Project) project since 2017. The project is expected to end in June 2023.

The project draws on a landscape conservation and management approach, understanding that not only Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA), but also buffer zones, corridors and sustainable forest and pasture management in wider landscape are the key to the conservation of biodiversity, and the sustainable use of forest and land resources. This includes the conservation of snow leopard and its prey species, as well as sustainable local community development.

The project is organized into three components.

  1. Conservation and sustainable management of Key Biodiversity Areas within the Western Tian Shan landscape;
  2. Enhancing ecosystem resilience and habitat connectivity in the Western Tian Shan by regulating land and forest use in buffer zones and corridors and providing support to sustainable livelihoods;
  3. Strengthening national capacities for Kyrgyz regional and global cooperation and setting the scene for scaling-up snow leopard conservation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Biodiversity Conservation and Outreach Associate will work under the overall guidance of the UNDP Climate Change Programme and Policy Analyst and direct supervision of the WTS Project Coordinator and will closely collaborate with national and local partners, UNDP CO Communications Unit and respective programs as appropriate, when implementing the following tasks:

  • Oversee the implementation of snow leopard data collection, analysis, interpretation, and submission of data on the snow leopard population to national databases;
  • Oversee the development of a training program and materials on the snow leopard and its prey base monitoring based on the Population Assessment of the Snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan methodology;
  • Undertake data analysis of population dynamics of globally significant fauna species (Snow leopard, Ibex, Golden eagle, and Tian Shan white clawed bear) for 2017-2021;
  • Communication with relevant authorities and carry out a brief review of national level law enforcement measures to combat wildlife trafficking in the Kyrgyz Republic as part of meeting the obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES);
  • Facilitate efforts to establish a multi-stakeholder dialogue on biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural, forestry, pasture, law enforcement, customs, and environmental sectors;
  • Oversee the mapping of the snow leopard range and other national level factors;
  • Liaise with the Project’s relevant stakeholders on overseeing the implementation of Action Plan on National Strategy for Snow Leopard Conservation in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2013-2023;
  • Collect primary data and articulate key messages on at least 10 local livelihood enhancement projects in Toktogul and Toguz-Toro districts for further drafting content and layout of a success stories book devoted to low-value grants implementation outputs;
  • Draw up 3 press-releases on National workshop on High Conservation Value Forests and Sustainable Forest Management, trainings on the snow leopard and its prey base monitoring, and national workshop as part of World Wildlife Day and facilitate their coverage on UNDP website, news outlets and social media platforms;
  • Develop design briefs, conceptualize visuals, and facilitate creation of graphic layouts of the following informational products:

    • Tourist information maps with detailed description of tourist routes and attractions on the territory of Alatai and Kan-Achuu Protected Areas;
    • Infographic brochure summarizing core outputs on buffer zones and corridors;
    • Informational booklet on Sustainable Forest Management, High Conservation Value Forests and certification of Sustainable Forest Management;
  • Informational materials on conservation of the snow leopard and associated key species intended for high schools and universities;

  • Informational signs for low-value grant projects in Toktogul and Toguz-Toro districts;
  • Infographic brochure summarizing the Project’s final outputs;

  • Write scripts of videos on buffer zones and corridors and the Project’s final outputs;

  • Develop technical specifications for communications and outreach materials;
  • Ensure compliance of communications and outreach products with UNDP branding guidelines.

Institutional Arrangement

The Biodiversity Conservation and Outreach Associate will be in charge of facilitating the Project’s snow leopard conservation interventions, undertaking data analysis related to mitigation of biodiversity loss and combatting wildlife trafficking, and reaching diverse audiences and stakeholders through targeted key messages and communication products.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Business Management

Project Management

Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

Business Management

Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience

Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Direction & Strategy

Effective Decision Making

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources

Business Development

Knowledge Generation

Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need

Business Development

Knowledge Facilitation

Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

General (across the functions)

Event planning and execution

Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP's overall brand and mandate.

General (across the functions)

Public relations

Ability to build and maintain an overall positive public image for the organisation, its mandate and its brand, while ensuring that individual campaigns and other communications and advocacy initiatives are supported in reaching the public

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

University degree in environmental sciences, public relations, communications, international relations or a relevant field would be highly desirable although it is not mandatory

OR

High school degree with 7 years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Bachelor Degree

Min. years of relevant work experience

A Bachelor’s degree with a minimum 4 years of professional experience in the area of communications or biodiversity conservation or

minimum 7 years of professional experience for candidate with high school degree in the area of communications or biodiversity conservation

Required skills

  • Investigative and research skills in undertaking both desk and field research
  • Experience in drawing up video scripts and developing design briefs

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

  • Working experience in intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) or UN/UNDP is a strong asset.
  • Experience in handling of web-based management system and scheduling social media output is preferred;
  • Have experience in stakeholder engagement on biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural, forestry, pasture, law enforcement, customs, and environmental sectors would be preferrable;
  • Professional experience working on issues in biodiversity projects in Kyrgyzstan would be highly desirable

Required Language(s)

Fluency in English, Russian, and Kyrgyz languages

Professional Certificates

Additional training and certification in communications or biodiversity conservation would be an asset.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org