Elephant Program Manager

Project: Preservation of Guinea’s flagship areas and species / Préservation des espaces et des espèces phares de Guinée.

Summary

The future Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah (PSS) National Park is included in the Outamba-Kilimi-Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah Landscape. This project is an initiative of the European Union called NaturaGuinée implemented by the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation (WCF) in partnership with the Ministries of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Guinea. This action of the NaturaGuinée program aims to improve the resilience of Guinea’s ecosystems, flagship species and rural populations. NaturAfrica’s three-pillar approach will be implemented, combining biodiversity conservation through protected area management, the development of a green economy, and the improvement of territorial governance. The action will be divided into two components: the territorial component (conservation of natural ecosystems) based on NaturAfrica’s landscape approach and oriented towards the protection of the “Savannah” and “Forest” Biomes and the thematic component (species conservation) which focuses on the conservation of Guinea’s flagship species at the national level. The intervention landscapes of the territorial component of this action are the Badiar National Park (“Savannah” Biome) and the future Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park (“Forest” Biome). These two landscapes have been identified in the EU Strategy for Conservation in Africa as key areas for biodiversity conservation and development on the African continent (WAF/KLCD).

In 2023, another initiative of the European Union for Integrated Landscape Management (OKKPS) facilitated the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Guinea Office of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves (OGPRNF) and National Protected Area (NPAA) in Sierra Leone to facilitate the joint management of this transboundary landscape. One of the values of this landscape is the presence of the elephant population that constantly migrates between the two countries. This population is threatened by railway construction activities in Guinea and by uncontrolled bushfires, poaching and human settlements in Sierra Leone.

It is of the utmost urgency to establish a mechanism to protect this elephant population. This program aims to set up tools to monitor elephant populations, and mitigate conflicts with local communities. We aim to establish long-term monitoring to assess population numbers and understand the dynamics of the distribution of these pachyderms throughout the landscape. We also aim to strengthen the capacities of national agencies that manage national parks and local populations, in order to improve the conditions for elephant protection in the transboundary landscape. The activities to be implemented will include:

1. The set-up of a monitoring plan (camera traps, line transects, etc.) for elephants throughout the PSS and to improve collaboration with Kilimi National Park;
2. Consultation with, and integration of, “local communities” into elephant protection activities in the landscape;
3. Contribution to the development of mitigation measures for the negative impacts of railway activities on the population dynamics of elephants in the PSS;
4. establish movement maps, details about behavior, social structure of this unique transboundary elephant population in Guinea;
5. Development of tools for data collection and operational capacity building for national park agencies;
6. Development of partnerships with specialized institutions in Human-Elephant conflict management;
7. Collaboration with other programs implemented in the PSS landscape such as the forest restoration program, green economy and local governance, protection and community ecoguards;
8. Identification of elephant individuals from camera trap videos.

The goal is to set up a long-term monitoring system for the elephant population and to prevent human-elephant conflicts in the PSS area.

Role and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Pinselli-Soyah-Sabouyah (PSS) component manager, the Elephant Program Manager will have the following responsibilities:

• planning and implementation of elephant monitoring activities;
• monitoring the impact of the development of railway construction activities on elephant population in the future PSS National Park;
• monitoring the activities foreseen in the annual action plan;
• capacity building of rangers on data collection tools;
• characterization of the pachyderm transhumance corridor in the transboundary landscape;
• participate in seeking potential sources of funding to ensure sustainability.

Requirements and skills

• PhD preferred, but Master’s degree in biodiversity conservation or a related field will also be considered, or a minimum 3 years of experience in elephant conservation-related activities including a focus on wild population monitoring;
• Experience in different monitoring methods and implementing elephant conservation programs in the field;
• Ability to work in a multicultural team;
• Speak and write in French and English;
• Self-confidence and ability to advise, teach and inspire;
• Ability to manage stress and work under pressure;
• Ability to be proactive and show initiative and creativity;
• Excellent ability to plan, organize, prioritize, solve problems;
• Willingness to take on a range of unforeseen tasks and work a flexible schedule, including some weekends;
• Ability to work independently as well as lead and manage a team;
• Ability to maintain a tolerant and professional attitude;
• Software skills: GIS, Word, Excel, R programming a plus;
• Good understanding of wildlife monitoring by camera traps, systematic sampling, distance sampling methods, capture-recapture, abundance and population estimation.

Other functions

Please note that this job description is not intended to cover an exhaustive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required for this position. Tasks, responsibilities and activities may change based on the program’s priorities.

Duration

Start date: earliest 1 May 2024

Duration: 12 months, with the possibility of renewing.

Compensation: According to WCF salary scale and experience.

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter with 2 references by email to Lukas Bösch lukas.boesch@wildchimps.org

In CC: Mimi Arandjelovic arandjelovic@wildchimps.org Pacifique Kizila kizila@wildchimps.org

with “Elephant Program Manager” in the subject line.