African Parks Network (APN) is hiring a Natural Resource Management and Pastoralism Coordinator – Landscapes of the Grand Ecosystème Fonctionnel de Zakouma (GEFZ) and Aouk-Keïta (PAK), Zakouma and Samer, Chad
POSITION: Natural Resource Management and Pastoralism Coordinator – Landscapes of the Grand Ecosystème Fonctionnel de Zakouma (GEFZ) and Aouk-Keïta (PAK)
ORGANIZATION: African Parks Network Chad
LOCATION: Haraze (Salamat), Zakouma (Salamat) and Samer (Guéra), Republic of Chad
REPORTS TO: GEFZ Director and Aouk Project Manager
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Fixed-term
CONTRACT DURATION: 03 years (with possibility of renewal)
INTENDED START DATE: April 01, 2024
BACKGROUND
African Parks Network (APN) is a non-profit conservation organization that assumes full responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. APN currently manages 22 national parks and protected areas covering more than 20 million hectares in the following 12 countries: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Sudan, Chad, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Located in southeastern Chad, the Grand Ecosystème Fonctionnel de Zakouma (GEFZ) is one of the continent’s few remaining intact assemblages of Sudano-Sahelian ecosystems. It covers 28,162 km² and comprises the Zakouma National Park (PNZ), the Bahr Salamat Wildlife Reserve (RFBS) and the Siniaka-Minia Wildlife Reserve (RFSM, about to become the Siniaka-Minia National Park – PNSM). This landscape is a globally important refuge for the preservation of biodiversity in West and Central Africa, whose unique character is inextricably linked to the availability of surface water in the dry season. This enables wildlife to thrive, sedentary communities to practice agriculture, fishing and gathering, while providing pastoral resources for nomadic and transhumant herders in the dry season. The Government of the Republic of Chad invited APN to manage the PNZ in 2010, then the GEFZ in 2017 for a ten-year period. APN has received significant support from the European Union (EU) for the management of the GEFZ, through a project funded by the 11th EDF from 2017 to 2023, and two NaturA-Tchad program projects from 2023 onwards, one of which is currently being implemented (NaturA-Tchad 1) and the other is currently being formulated (NaturA-Tchad 2).
In the GEFZ, APN is deploying monitoring operations, habitat and species rehabilitation and conservation, tourism development and an ambitious community support program (environmental education, village land management and development, support for green industries).
In 2020, with support from the EU’s ECOFAC program, APN and the Chadian government launched a four-year pilot project based in the Aouk region. This vast area covers some 60,000 km² south of the GEFZ and borders both the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan. It takes its name from one of the main tributaries of the Chari River, the Bahr Aouk. Large parts of this area are devoid of permanent human settlement. Existing sedentary populations are highly localized and mainly involved in agriculture. Nomadic and transhumant pastoralism is an important seasonal activity with significant effects on the Aouk ecosystems.
Fishing is also an important and widespread activity. The project aims to design and implement an early warning system against large-scale poaching, and is also working to establish a wildlife rehabilitation and landscape connectivity strategy, linking the GEFZ to the complex of protected areas in northern CAR. Although operating in a challenging area, the project has already developed an unprecedented capacity to examine issues relating to biodiversity and natural resource use in an area where very little information was previously available. The project is set to continue, notably with support from the EU’s NaturAfrica Transhumance program from 2024, focusing on the Aouk-Keïta Landscape (PAK).
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Natural Resource Management and Pastoralism Coordinator for the GEFZ and PAK landscapes will be a pooled resource between GEFZ, the Aouk project and other potential projects led by APN in the GEFZ-PAK landscape, responsible for leading and coordinating the efforts of the teams from these different projects for all activities linked to the concerted and sustainable management of natural resources (land use and development plans) and the development of value chains (pastoral and others).
As such, it will provide strategic, scientific, technical and operational support to the teams in order to :
- Manage and develop the existing activities of the GEFZ and the Aouk project in terms of concerted and sustainable management of natural resources and development of value chains (pastoral and others);
- Formulate and implement the components and activities relating to concerted and sustainable management of natural resources and development of value chains (pastoral and others) in the new projects being prepared for funding by the EU (notably NaturA-Tchad 2 and NaturAfrica Transhumance projects) and potentially other donors.
- The Natural Resource Management and Pastoralism Coordinator will report directly to the GEFZ Director and the Aouk Project Manager.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the implementation of the land-use and natural resources planning process in the PAK and organize the capitalization of achievements in this field in the GEFZ, as well as the process of analysis and identification of needs, key partners and next steps to finalize planning tools, validate them and give them a legal existence and appropriate and effective enforcement, control and arbitration bodies;
- Lead the process of analyzing and identifying needs and key partners for the formulation and implementation of pastoral and other value chain development components (fisheries, agriculture, forestry, non-timber forest products, artisanal mining activities, etc.) within the framework of new projects currently being formulated by APN in the GEFZ-PAK landscape, integrating lessons learned from ongoing or past projects in the landscape (activities implemented within GEFZ, the Aouk project and possibly other projects) and elsewhere ;
- Support the process of engaging national and local stakeholders in the design of innovative and sustainable governance systems for concerted and sustainable natural resource management and value chain development in the GEFZ and PAK landscapes;
- Draft the sections relating to these themes in the proposals to be submitted to the EU and potentially other donors, including provisions for monitoring-evaluation and capacity building;
- Contribute to the formulation of five-year business plans and budgets for GEFZ and the Aouk project (and, where applicable, other projects implemented by APN in the GEFZ-PAK landscapes), in order to integrate activities relating to the concerted and sustainable management of natural resources and the development of value chains;
- Supervise and coordinate the implementation of activities relating to these themes in the various projects, including existing projects, to ensure effective and efficient implementation and achievement of the objectives pursued;
- Organize and supervise the implementation of effective research, monitoring and evaluation methodologies and systems, to inform management and donors and guide the implementation of activities in real time, including overseeing the production of GIS material and engaging external resources where necessary;
- Assume primary responsibility for the management and processing of all data collected and for the production of quality reports on the implementation of these activities (interim and final reports), for both existing and new projects;
- Identify the capacity-building needs of staff and all other stakeholders involved in the implementation of these activities, develop training plans, and organize and supervise their implementation;
- Establish, where necessary, partnerships with national and international research institutions on the themes concerned, and supervise their implementation;
- Ensure the ongoing information and involvement of central and decentralized administrations, local authorities, beneficiaries and other stakeholders on the progress and challenges encountered on these themes, through the establishment of formal and informal consultation frameworks;
- Supervise the drafting of activity reports (interim and final reports) for the Aouk project, and guarantee their quality and compliance with deadlines;
- Ensure the dissemination of lessons learned and results obtained, including to other APN operations in Chad and elsewhere;
- Carry out any other related tasks as required, at the request of the GEFZ Director and the Aouk Project Manager.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- PhD in social sciences, geography or other related field of study;
- At least five years’ experience working on one or more research projects, preferably in Africa;
- Knowledge of issues related to pastoralism and collaborative natural resource management; knowledge of these issues in south-eastern Chad is an advantage;
- Previous experience of working in a remote environment with regular field missions;
- Excellent analytical, oral and written communication skills in French, professional command of English; ability to interact in Arabic is an advantage;
- Strong ability to manage time and competing priorities;
- Strong initiative, perseverance and resilience;
- Leadership and team spirit to bring out the best in multicultural teams.
How to apply:
The application file including: (i) a letter of motivation addressed to the Director of Regional Operations Central Africa, explaining your interest as well as the names and contact details (e-mail, address, telephone number) of three (03) reference persons, (ii) an updated CV, (iii) copies of diplomas and/or copies of certificates and attestations of previous work in single files should be sent by e-mail to : rh.tchad@africanparks.orgor hand-deliver to :
African Parks Tchad Quartier Klémat – 2eme Arrondissement
Rue 3258 – Porte 63, N’Djamena, Tchad
The closing date for applications is March 05, 2024.
Note:
- Applications received after this date will not be considered. Only selected candidates will be informed by e-mail or telephone.
- If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, your application has been unsuccessful.
Thank you for your interest in African Parks.