Three regional Action Plans have been developed for the conservation of the harbour porpoise in northern Europe under the UN Agreement, ASCOBANS, coordinated by UN Environment/CMS. These are a Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea, a Recovery Plan for harbour porpoises in the Baltic Proper (Jastarnia Plan), and, most recently, a Conservation Plan for the Harbour Porpoise Population for the area between – i.e. the Western Baltic, the Belt Sea and the Kattegat (WBBK), administered by the Jastarnia Group.
We are looking to appoint a part-time coordinator of these three Action Plans, working under the supervision of the Chairs of the respective Steering Groups, Drs. Peter Evans and Ida Carlén.
Terms of Reference:
a) Qualifications
The co-ordinator should have a background 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 North, Belt and Baltic Seas. He or she should be an effective communicator, able to establish and maintain relations with and to represent ASCOBANS positions vis-à-vis the various stakeholders. Knowledge and experience of porpoise research, particularly relating to fisheries interactions and life history aspects is favoured.
b) Tasks
Reporting to the Jastarnia and North Sea Groups, the Coordinator would, in particular, have to perform the following tasks:
1) Provide technical support at meetings of the Regional Coordination Group which will develop the regional implementation of the fisheries Data Collection Framework (DCF), assuming this is practically feasible;
2) Review progress under the North Sea, Jastarnia and WBBK Plans and make proposals for amending the Action Points in advance of the meetings of the Groups;
3) Review latest available information on harbour porpoise bycatch from the fleets operating in the North, Belt and Baltic Seas;
4) Collate regional information on life history parameters (e.g. age structure, age at sexual maturity, reproductive information) for harbour porpoises in the areas covered by the three plans, ensuring synergies with other fora;
5) Provide technical support at the ICES WGBYC annual meetings and other relevant fora (e.g. the North Sea Advisory Council, Baltic Sea Advisory Council, HELCOM, OSPAR);
6) Provide advice on appropriate funding mechanisms for the long-term implementation of the three action plans and support fundraising efforts;
7) Coordinate efforts to deliver the action plans, identifying synergies and opportunities for efficiency savings.
c) Duration of Consultancy & Working Hours
The consultancy will last 12 months. It is expected that the Coordinator will require an initial one month phase of full time work, after which the work would average 2.5 days per week. Office facilities will be available in West Wales. Start date would be as early as possible in 2018.
d) Remuneration
The part-time coordinator would be paid a consultancy fee of £15,000 for the 12 months. There will also be a travel budget available.
Anyone interested in this post should apply to Dr Peter Evans at peter.evans@bangor.ac.uk sending their CV, the names of two referees, and a cover letter outlining their most relevant qualifications and experience. Deadline for applications: 31 Dec 2017.
For further information:
http://www.ascobans.org/en/documents/action-plans
