Field Officer – Mangrove Habitats

Field Officer – Mangrove Habitats

Vacancy #:                  5952
Unit:                            Vietnam Programme Coordination
Organisation:              International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Location:                     Vietnam Country Office, Hanoi, Viet Nam
                                    Based in Rach Gia (Kiên Giang) with frequent travel to project field sites (Hon Dat, Kien Giang; Vinh Chau, Soc Trang)
Reporting to:               Project Manager, Mekong Delta Coastal Project
Work percentage:       100%
Grade:                         P1
Expected start date:    01 May 2022
Type of contract:         Fixed-term (12 months with possibility of renewal)
Closing date:               15 April 2022

BACKGROUND

The Mekong Delta and its islands are home to 70 percent of Vietnam’s mangroves and 90 percent of its seagrass beds. Fed by the sediment and nutrients from the Mekong River, these habitats support Vietnam’s richest fishing grounds. However, these habitats are under growing threat. Intensive near-shore fishing has depleted fish stocks leading to the phenomenon of “fishing down the food chain,” with ecologically devastating effects. The delta’s mangrove forests, which provide nursery habitat for sea bass, snapper, and other commercially important species, as well as crucial protection for coastal communities from storm surges, are declining, trapped between rising sea levels and sea dikes. Other climate change impacts such as prolonged droughts and higher ambient temperatures, made worse by the loss of mangroves and their micro-climate regulation, threaten shrimp stocks. Shrimp farmers instead are turning to pumped groundwater to maintain required marine temperatures, leading to land subsidence and faster mangrove loss.

Sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in collaboration with the Directorate of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), is implementing the MDC project with the goal of minimizing threats to marine biodiversity, fishery resources and enhancing resilience to climate change in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta. The project will work with authorities, businesses, the NP Management Board and the fishing community to test financial opportunities and develop new policies. Of relevance to this position, the project will also work with authorities, businesses, and local communities to explore and test solutions to conserve and expand mangrove forests behind the sea dykes to increase fish nursery habitat and coastal biodiversity.

The project will be implemented in the most affected and vulnerable areas of Phu Quoc, Hai Tac archipelago, Ba Lua archipelago, Nam Du archipelago, Hon Dat (Kien Giang), Vinh Chau (Soc Trang).

This is a local recruitment. Only Vietnamese nationals, individuals with residence status or the appropriate employment visa for Vientam are eligible to apply. The remuneration and benefits package for this position is established with reference to the local labour market and in line with the IUCN conditions of service for Vietnam.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Working under the overall direction of the Project Manager, the Field Officer (Mangrove Habitats) will work to support the implementation of 2 out of 4 Components of the 3-year MDC project. Component 3 will test solutions to the coastal squeeze to conserve and expand mangrove forests to increase fish nursery habitat and coastal biodiversity, including integrating mangroves within shrimp growing landscapes behind the sea dikes. And Component 4 will complete a series of special or cross-cutting studies to strengthen the analytical basis for the other three components. The Field Officer (Mangrove Habitats) will coordinate with the Field Officer (Marine and Coastal Habitats) who is supporting implementation of Component 1 in Phu Quoc MPA and Component 2 which intervenes on the three island clusters in the West Sea.

The duties of the Field Officer (Mangrove Habitats) will include but is not limited to:

• Support the Project Manager (PM) to carry out activities in collecting existing data on biodiversity, ecosystems, endangered species, exploitation of aquatic resources and legal documents, policies and plans in the area of Hon Dat, Kien Giang, and Lai Hoa, Soc Trang;
• Support the PM to organize conferences, seminars and workshops;
• Assist the PM to coordinate project activities with local government and stakeholder groups;
• Prepare monthly activity progress reports;
• Conduct regular monitoring visits and surveys to collect data for the project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan;
• Support project consultants to carry out field surveys related to Components 3 and 4:
  
  • feasibility study on land use change options including hybrid-NBS options to expand inland mangroves to address the coastal squeeze;
  • climate change vulnerability assessment;
  • development of factsheets and documents to facilitate integrated planning demonstration workshops;
• Other related duties as assigned by the PM.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor degree majoring in Ecology, Natural Resource Management, Aquaculture or related disciplines;
• At least 5 years of working experience in mangrove-aquaculture landscapes in the Mekong Delta;
• Have knowledge about coastal mangroves, coastal erosion, integrated mangrove-shrimp systems, aquaculture and technologies such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), in the Mekong Delta. The position will be of interest to candidates who are interested in integrated solutions;
• Experience with working with local state management agencies in the Mekong Delta. Kien Giang and Soc Trang experience will be an advantage;
• Excellent communication skills and working experience with external partners and local communities;
• Experience with interview survey methods to collect data and information;
• Proficient in using office software (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point);
• Fluent in spoken and written English.

APPLICATIONS

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

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