Recruitment notice: Transhumance Assistant
| Position : | Transhumance Assistant |
| Supervisor : | PAIRIAC Coordinator |
| Rental : | Bouba-Njidda (Cameroon) |
| Program : | WCS Cameroon |
| Duration : | One (1) year (renewable) |
| Type of Contract : | Fixed-term contract |
| Type of position: | Full-time |
| Internal relationship: | RCA Program Assistant
Pala Program Assistant Coordinator BC Chari |
Presentation of the organization:
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in New York, United States. Its area of focus is the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems through understanding critical issues, developing scientific solutions, and conservation measures that benefit nature and humanity.
With over a century of experience, long-term engagements in dozens of landscapes, a presence in more than 60 countries, and experience creating more than 150 protected areas around the world, WCS has accumulated the knowledge biological and cultural, and the partnerships needed to ensure ecosystems and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. By working with local communities and organizations, this knowledge is applied in the management of species, habitats and ecosystems essential to improving the quality of life of rural populations whose livelihoods depend on the direct use of natural resources.
The Sudano-Sahelian region offers unparalleled opportunities for WCS to play a direct role in safeguarding the planet’s last intact wilderness areas and contribute significantly to the safety of people and wildlife. The region’s savannahs, forests and wetlands support key populations of elephants, northern giraffes, lions, elk, chimpanzees, gorillas, bongos and the second largest migration of antelopes in the planet. Communities also depend on the land for their livelihood through pastoralism, agriculture, fishing and hunting. WCS has a strong presence in the Sudano-Sahelian and Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea regions, with a strong conservation history and proven success in protected area management.
WCS currently has conservation initiatives in Chad, CAR, South Sudan and Cameroon. It actively works to support the management of protected areas and the application of the law on fauna and flora, to develop the livelihoods of local populations and conservation-security partnerships, to strengthen activities to combat drug trafficking. fauna and flora, and to implement scientific programs.
Program in the Central African Republic:
Since February 2018, WCS has launched a program in the CAR in partnership with the Central African government, including the management of the Bamingui-Bangoran and Manovo-Gounda St Floris national parks in the northeast of the CAR. The program is supported by a 25-year renewable Public Private Partnership Agreement with multiple facets, including wildlife management, law enforcement and community engagement.
For the more than 100,000 km2 of the North-East Protected Area Complex and its Functional Landscape (CA-PF NORTHEAST / RCA), WCS RCA has developed a programmatic strategy with the creation of four wildlife conservation centers and three community, logistics and policy coordination offices. The integrated management of transhumance with the focus on regulating cross-border transhumance by establishing a permanent dialogue with the stakeholders concerned constitutes one of its seven areas of intervention. TANGO teams are deployed to coordinate and facilitate the movements of transhumant pastoralists to ensure that established corridors are properly used to protect the flora and fauna of protected areas.
Program in Chad:
In Chad, WCS has a long history of involvement in conservation dating back to 2005. This includes aerial surveys of semi-arid areas, aerial surveys and support for the protection of elephants in Zakouma Park from 2006- 2012, contributions of technical expertise to the development of the National Action Plan for the Elephant (PANE) of Chad in 2014, aerial counts of wildlife in 2015, a commitment to supporting the Government of Chad to the management of the Sena-Oura National Park (PNSO) as part of a neighboring cross-border initiative with the Bouba-Njidda National Park (PNBN) in Cameroon from 2016 until today. More recently, in May 2021, WCS, in partnership with the EU and other partners, launched the Central Chari Basin Conservation Program called “Central Chari Basin Ecosystem: towards an integrated landscape approach (BC- Chari)”, covering the landscapes located between the South-East of Chad, the North of the CAR and the North-East of Cameroon. Over the past few years, WCS has worked with the Governments and Partners of Chad, CAR and Cameroon to establish cross-border anti-poaching coordination systems (particularly to combat well-organized elephant poaching). ). WCS is developing a new program with the EU to engage in cross-border transhumant pastoralism.
Cameroon Program
WCS has been operating in Cameroon since 1988 with its base in Yaoundé. The scientific and technical research work carried out by WCS contributed to the creation of the first wildlife sanctuary in Cameroon (the Banyang Mbo Sanctuary), the Lobeke National Park, the Deng-Deng National Park, the Kagwene Sanctuary. WCS has supported the Ministry in charge of wildlife for many years in the management of the Banyang Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary and the Deng-Deng National Park and provides technical and financial assistance to the Cameroonian government and more specifically to the Ministry of Wildlife. Forests and Wildlife in the management of the landscape of Takamanda-Mone straddling the North-West and South-West regions, the Mbam & Djerem National Park and its periphery, the Binational Sena-Oura Bouba-Ndjidda cross-border complex, the Econorcam Project with the Bénoué National Park and the peripheral areas of hunting interest as its central core. WCS also supported MINFOF in the management of several specific projects including the MINFOF-CAMRAIL Project financed by the World Bank on the Eradication of the transport of wildlife products along the Ngaoundere-Yaounde railway, the Monitoring of the management of Wildlife in Forest Concessions in Cameroon (SEGeF), the project for the Development of Standards for the Management of Ivory and Other Wildlife Products in Cameroon.
Since February 2022, WCS Cameroon has been implementing a program focused on improving access to pastoral services and agropastoral structures for rational management of natural resources in Cameroon with interregional collaboration in CAR and Chad.
Job summary:
The Transhumance Assistant’s objective and main role is to provide the support and accompaniment necessary for the preparation, implementation and monitoring-evaluation of activities.
In particular, he (she) will be responsible for coordinating, in conjunction with sensitizers, the movements of transhumant pastoralists in order to ensure that the established corridors are correctly used to protect the flora and fauna of the protected areas. He will be based in Bouba-Njidda with frequent travel in the landscape, the program’s intervention area.
Tasks and responsibilities:
- Technically support the operational preparation of field activities
- Support the selection of regulatory agents in the intervention zone;
- Identify and communicate to the line supervisor the needs related to the implementation of activities;
- Facilitate procedures and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders within communities;
- Assist in mobilizing the resources necessary for the implementation of activities;
- Provide all necessary information for the proper planning of activities
- Support the implementation and monitoring of activities
- Assist in the mobilization of awareness-raising agents for the implementation of activities;
- Take part in and contribute to preparatory meetings for the organization of training sessions for community partners and awareness-raisers;
- Participate in carrying out activities within the limits of the responsibilities assigned to him by the hierarchical supervisor;
- Assist in the operational organization of activities according to identified needs
- Supervise the smooth running of tasks, actions and operations during activities within the communities;
- Propose and implement any approach and action that could improve the implementation of the program, after consulting the line supervisor
- Support the reporting and transmission of any relevant information that can improve the implementation of the program and its visibility
- Share information with the supervisor and the departmental or regional committees of the intervention areas
- Facilitate procedures and information sharing between all relevant stakeholders within communities
- Support any collection of information relevant to the implementation or evaluation of activities
- Monitor, alert and transmit to the hierarchy any information related to the security situation in the intervention zone
- Carry out any other task and/or activity determined by the program.
Required Skills :
University training (BAC + 2 level or higher) related to community or local development, transhumant pastoralism, social sciences, natural resource management or any field that will be formally recognized as relevant. This level can be compensated by a wealth of experience in one of the areas listed above.
- At least two years of experience in a similar position
- Good knowledge of the issues of transhumant pastoralism or natural resource management
- Experience in supporting/supervising communities
- Excellent listening, communication, negotiation and animation skills
- Commitment to wildlife conservation.
- Good knowledge of French.
- Good knowledge of Fulfulde or any other language often used by breeders (Haousa, Arabic)
- Ability to cope with extreme pressures and demonstrate endurance in less safe and hostile working environments
- Ability to adapt and be flexible
- Ability to work in a team and with limited supervision.
- Knowledge of the area and local cultures is an asset
WCS’s work is characterized by great flexibility as well as a certain mobility, discretion and honesty.
The employee undertakes to maintain the strictest confidentiality regarding all information that he or she may collect in the course of his or her role.
Application process:
Anyone interested is invited to send their request to WCS Cameroon preferably electronically to the address: wcscameroon@wcs.org . including: “Transhumance Assistant
- A cover letter addressed to the Country Program Director of WCS Cameroon: (LM_ Candidate name);
- A CV: (CV_ Candidate name);
- No later than December 1, 2023
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