Post-doc opportunity Protected Area Resilience: creating and protecting the value of Brazilian PAs Resume: An exciting and unique opportunity to take part in a ground-breaking conservation project to assess the tangible and intangible asset value of Brazilian protected areas. Working with leading conservation scientists and practitioners from Brazil and the UK, the successful candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary team working towards generating a new suite of metrics that will capture the cultural, scientific, resources and political/policy dimensions of PA value. Contract: 1 year with option to extend up to 34 months (depending on date of appointment) Institutions: Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), Maceio, Brazil & School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, UK. Coordinated by: Professor Richard J. Ladle1, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio, Brazil Dr Paul Jepson2, University of Oxford, Oxford,UK Based in: Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil Brief Description of Project: Protected Areas (PAs) have attracted significant investment and interest over the past century. This invested capital has been used to preserve existing value and to create new value, for example economic value (e.g. ecosystem services, ecotourism), social value, cultural value (e.g. local identity), recreational value, political value (e.g. international reputation) and option value (e.g. land development, bio-prospecting). Current and emerging risks that could reduce the value of PAs and some of these trends, most notably climate change and agricultural encroachment, are already placing significant value at risk. Other risks include: changes in land designation, regulatory change (e.g. changes to the Brazilian Forest Code), jurisdictional tensions between Ministries (e.g. agriculture, environment, mining & forestry) and levels of government (e.g. federal vs state vs municipal), conflict between communities and authorities, etc. It is in the interests of public and private investors in PAs to ensure that the value – past and future - generated from their investments is resilient to these challenges. In addition to enhanced resilience, PAs should also be looking to deliver continued value growth over time and in ways that deliver better returns to invested capital. With its comprehensive and well defined PA network, Brazil is the ideal country to develop an asset based approach to PA governance. The objective of this project is therefore to develop methods to assess and map the asset value of different designations of Brazilian PAs. In doing so we will calculate the size of cumulative capital investment by different groups (government, philanthropic, NGO and private sector), and estimate its current value accounting for concepts such as opportunity cost, depreciation and cost of capital. Moreover, we will analyse how Brazilian PAs have responded to risks in the past and identify management strategies might be appropriate for preserving the value of PAs in the future. Finally, we will identify how invested capital in Brazilian PAs can be protected and future value growth maximised. Additional opportunities: The successful candidate will have the opportunity to travel throughout Brazil, visiting some of the natural landscapes in the World. The project will provide opportunities for publication in high impact international journals and to develop an extensive network within the global conservation community. There will also be opportunities to teach and supervise masters and under-graduate students. Essential requirements: i. A doctorate in geography, environmental science, economics or social science (other areas of expertise will be accepted if a clear case can be made) ii. Fluency in Portuguese and English iii. Evidence of ability to publish in international journals iv. Willingness to travel within Brazil (and potentially internationally) v. Independence and a sense of adventure (and humour!) vi. Patience to deal with Brazilian bureaucracy (for bank, for visa, for driving, etc, etc , etc) vii. Willingness to live in a less developed area of Brazil (with not very good development indicators - check on google!) Desirable requirements: i. Quantitative skills a. Statistics b. GIS c. Programming (e.g. R) ii. Familiarity with on-line digital mapping and conservation database resources iii. Quantitative/qualitative social survey experience iv. Strong motivation to publish Main Duties and responsibilities i. Coordinate, develop and implement the CNPQ research project “Protected Area Resilience: creating and protecting the value of Brazilian PAs” ii. Liaise with project coordinators (Prof Ladle, Prof Malhado, Dr Jepson) iii. Develop indices for assessing PA resilience iv. Conduct and coordinate surveys and site visits (when required) v. Assist with coordination of meetings vi. Co-write academic articles with members of the project team vii. Present research at scientific conferences viii. Prepare post-doc (CNPq) progress reports when they are due ix. Train students (if required) to take part in data collection (web based, social surveys, etc.) x. Assist with supervision of students on the MSc Biological Diversity and Conservation in the Tropics (UFAL) xi. Other tasks related to the project Brazilian CNPq rules for fellowship implementation i. PhD degree completed less than 7 years before the expected start date of the post-doc ii. Devote himself/herself entirely to planned activities iii. Have no other employment during the fellowship iv. Do not combine the fellowship with scholarships granted by any other national funding agency Benefits a) Monthly fellowship following the CNPq Pós-doutorado Junior table of values of scholarships (at the present time it is R$ 4100 reais/month + R$400 for research expenses) b) If the candidate needs to move for more than 350 kilometers, the Scholarship holder will be entitled to one airticket (in and out), and installation allowance corresponding to the amount of one fellowship to be paid with the first monthly fellowship. Start date: As Soon as Possible Informal enquiries: Professor Ana Malhado (anaclaudiamalhado@gmail) To apply: Send CV and cover letter to Professor Ana Malhado (anaclaudiamalhado@gmail) by 1st August 2014
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 09:23:50 +0000
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