The ten ASCOBANS Parties have adopted three Action Plans targeting harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): the Recovery Plan for Baltic Harbour Porpoises (Jastarnia Plan) targeting the critically endangered Harbour Porpoises in the Baltic proper; the Recovery Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea (North Sea Plan); and the Conservation Plan for the Harbour Porpoise Population in the Western Baltic, the Belt Sea and the Kattegat (WBBK Plan). There are two Working Groups which regularly review and provide guidance on the implementation of the three action plans. The longest standing, Jastarnia Group, has acted as Steering Group for the Jastarnia Plan and since its adoption in 2012, and it also covers the WBBK Plan. The North Sea Group is responsible for the North Sea Plan. As outlined in the ASCOBANS Recovery Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea, “Experience has shown that in order to be effective, Conservation Plans must have a recognized, full-time coordinator. This is particularly true where effective conservation requires action (including legislative action) by a number of stakeholders including: intergovernmental and national authorities, scientists from several disciplines, representatives from industry, local communities, and interested NGOs. The scale of work required by this Plan exceeds the resources available within the (part-time) ASCOBANS Secretariat.” ASCOBANS Parties have therefore since 2017 (AC23) put in place a “Coordinator for the Harbour Porpoise Action Plans” and allocated funds accordingly . Currently, the Jastarnia and WBBK Plans are coordinated separately from the North Sea Plan. Building on the work already undertaken the Coordinator should, under the supervision of the Secretariat, deliver on the following tasks: 1) Undertake regular coordination activities with Parties to ensure the delivery of the action plans, identifying synergies and opportunities for efficiency savings; 2) Review progress under the Jastarnia and WBBK Plans 3) Make proposals for amending the Action Points in advance of the 21st Jastarnia Group meeting; 4) Review latest available information on harbour porpoise bycatch from the fleets operating in the Belt and Baltic Seas; 5) Provide technical support at relevant ICES working groups and other relevant fora (e.g. Baltic Sea Advisory Council, HELCOM) as feasible; and 6) Provide technical support at meetings of the Regional Coordination Group which will develop the regional implementation of the Data Collection Framework (DCF), assuming this is practically feasible. Outputs: 1) Updated progress report for each plan, including: - Analysis of the implementation of the Action Plans including all relevant information since the previous report (past progress reports can be found here: https://www.ascobans.org/en/workinggroup/jastarnia-group); - review of each of the standing Action Points for both Action Plans by Range State; - Quantitative assessment on progress for both Action Plans, following the format in the past progress reports (“summary table of progress in the implementation”); 2) Reviewed preliminary list of Action Points from the 20th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group prior to the 21st Meeting of the Jastarnia Group; 3) Reviews and other relevant reports pertinent to tasks above, upon request of the Secretariat; 4) Technical support to meetings of ICES and other relevant fora, if required; and 5) A list of coordination activities undertaken, and outcomes achieved, to be submitted at the end of the contract.

Qualifications/special skills

Post-graduate degree (Master’s) in zoology, marine sciences, or closely related field. PhD is considered an advantage. At least seven years in marine nature conservation as well as experience and a proven understanding of the political and legal context and of scientific issues concerning harbour porpoise conservation in the Agreement area, with particular emphasis on the Baltic proper given the conservation status of “critically endangered” in this region; good understanding of the mandates and work of ASCOBANS.

Languages

Excellent communication skills in English are required (other official languages spoken in the Baltic range states are an advantage).

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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Added 5 days ago - Updated 9 hours ago - Source: careers.un.org