samedi 15 janvier 2011

research assistant, Mondika Gorilla Research Center / Djeke Triangle Ecotourism Center

Hiring Organization:
Wildlife Conservation Society - Congo Program

Date Posted:
2011-01-09

Position Description:
We are searching a field assistant for an ongoing study on two habituated groups of western lowland gorillas at the Mondika field site in the Djeke Triangle, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

The assistant will be helping to run the site with the responsible for day-to-day running of the Mondika site and the supervision of the activities at the site. Specifically, the he/she will be responsible for the continuation of the ongoing habituation process of the second group Buka for tourism and research and for supervising all tourism activities with Kingo’s group.

The assistant is expected to help with the following tasks:
Ensure daily follows and continued contact with Kingo’s group through the supervision of research assistants and team of trackers.
Continue the habituation process of second group Buka with technical input from
Maintain collection of basic data on gorilla group ranging behavior, interactions, demography and gorilla health monitoring (visual health data collection) for both groups.
Oversee all tourism activities with Kingo’s group at the site, which will include the role of one of tour group leaders with groups of tourists; of course with the assistance of research assistants.
Maintain the monitoring of ecological trail at the site.

day-to-day running of the camp, including general maintenance of camp equipment, communications, infrastructure and implementation of daily work programs for trackers, research assistants, cookers and the guard (sentinel).

Qualifications/Experience:
Essential requirements are high resistance to working for a long period in a remote rain forest, experiences in collecting behavioral data, and the ability to work in a team (2-3 Congolese research assistants and 2-4 local assistants and around 6 tracker).
This also means living on basic food and having limited email access (no internet and no telephone calls).
Field-work requires a lot of hard work with the daily follow of the habituated group and particularly good social skills working with the "pygmy" trackers. The work demands high motivation and patience. Previous experience in

Practical and technical skills required to maintain the camps technical infrastructure (eg. solar electricity, satphone, sw-radio) are of advantage.
For communication with local assistants (Bangombe pygmies), basic skills in French are needed and the candidates are expected to learn Sangho to commnicate with the BaAka trackers.

Salary/funding:
no salary provided but ALL costs associated with the successful completion of the position will be covered (depending on the skills and the engagement a small salary might be negotiable)

Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):
Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging): The project will cover costs for visa, vaccination and the expenses for domestic and international flights. This money will be reimbursed only AFTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION of a 12-month term of appointment.
The project provides food and offers lodging (in wooden houses) at the field site. Also expenses for food and lodging during the stay in Brazzaville will be covered by the project. Expenses for private field equipment and medical supplies can NOT be covered by the project.

Term of Appointment:
12 months (starting from February 2011)

Application Deadline:
End of January/Mid February 2011

Comments:
The Mondika site falls under the umbrella of the WCS Nouabalé-Ndoki Project. The site manager would report directly to the WCS-NNP Principal Technical Advisor and the Conservator of NNNP. Technical advices on gorilla habituation and on general aspects of gorillas, tourism activities and logistical aspects at the site are to be provided in collaboration with WCS-NNP Principal Technical Advisor.

Contact Information:
WCS-Congo
Avenue Charles de Gaule 151
Brazzaville BP 14537
Congo

Telephone Number:
002427777009

Website:
http://www.wcs-congo.org

E-mail Address:
tbreuer@wcs.org