Community Forestry Specialist and Trainer

Organizational Setting

The FAO Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean (SLC) was established in 1996 and is based in Barbados. It is headed by a Sub-Regional Representative/Coordinator and is staffed by a Multidisciplinary Team and an Administrative Unit. The FAO Caribbean Sub-Regional Office is supporting 13 member countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Moreover, FAO Representations are present in Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname; Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas; and Guyana.

FAO SLC is in the process of implementing a project in Saint Lucia as part of the Programme for Capacity Building Related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in ACP countries Phase III (ACP-MEAs 3). ACP-MEAs 3 is a global European Union-funded project that aims to promote environmental sustainability in ACP countries by strengthening environmental governance and the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements. The project aims bring about sustainable changes in agricultural policies and practices to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity, and to increase food security and resilience to climate change.

Reporting Lines

The Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, the technical supervision of the ACP-MEAs 3 Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, and in close coordination with the ACP-MEAs 3 National Coordinator and other programme/project partners in Saint Lucia.

Technical Focus

The objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacity of forestry and agricultural extension officers in Saint Lucia in the application of participatory and discovery-based extension and engagement techniques that they can use to promote community acceptance and ownership of, and participation in, sustainable forest management and restoration.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Design and deliver two instalments of a four-day training programme, including training materials, to improve forest and extension officers’ understanding and capacity in relation to community-based participatory forest management.
• Assist trained forest officers in the delivery of two community workshops on participatory riverbank revegetation and rehabilitation.
• Prepare a report on the community workshops, including reflections on its success and recommendations for delivery of subsequent similar events.
• In co-operation with the Saint Lucia Forest and Land Resources Department, develop a standard template for voluntary community forestry agreements between the Department and partner communities.
• Based on delivery of the training programme, the community workshops, and feedback from project beneficiaries and partners, prepare a learning kit, including good practice examples, suitable for use by the Forests and Land Resources Department in subsequent in-service training.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in forestry, natural resources management, or a closely related field
• At least seven years of progressive professional experience in sustainable forest management
• Demonstrated experience in participatory/community-based forest/natural resources management
• National or resident of Saint Lucia
• Working knowledge of English

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous experience in training design and delivery
• Work experience in the Caribbean and in Saint Lucia in particular would be an advantage
• Experience in natural resource management approaches that emphasize sustainable livelihoods
• Experience engaging with a variety of forestry stakeholders, including forest officers, extension services, rural communities and land users