Hiring Organization:
Fauna Forever
Date Posted:
2012-04-09
Position Description:
Fauna Forever (FF) is a not-for-profit organization based out of the jungle city of Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon rainforests of Tambopata in south-eastern Peru. The organisation, which traces its origins back to 1997, works to promote biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of tropical forest resources, and the continued flow of vital ecosystem services from Peru’s wild nature - for the benefit of all. It leads and supports pure and applied environmental and socio-economic research projects, training workshops, volunteer and intern programs, and forest conservation initiatives with the aim of benefiting State- and private-led protected areas, local families and communities involved in rational use of natural resources, tour guides, scientists, policy-makers, and the public at large – by documenting our understanding of the changing state of wild nature, the benefits and impacts of human activities, and helping to spread knowledge about the Amazon rainforest ecosystem.
Fauna Forever currently manages a long-term wildlife monitoring project called Fauna Forever Tambopata (FFT), specialising in mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and trees; an animal welfare project called Animal Welfare Forever, focussed on both domestic pets and some captive wild species (kept by other organizations); an environmental education and awareness initiative centred on schools in Puerto Maldonado and surrounding villages; an ecosystem services project, involving the economic valuation of intact forest; a mini-conservation corridor project called Forest Corridors Forever; a series of workshops focussing on (a) bird banding/ringing and handling techniques (Bird Ringing Forever, in collaboration with CORBIDI), (b) wildlife photography (Foto Forever, in collaboration with Untamed Photography), and (c) statistical techniques. A lot of what we do helps various groups improve their knowledge acquisition methods and encourages them to make better land-use planning decisions to reduce impacts on the environment and to maximise human wellbeing.
We are currently seeking volunteer field assistants and interns who wish to join our Primate Team for 2012 or 2013. In addition, we offer the opportunity for undergraduate- and masters-level students to undertake their thesis field work in parallel, on topics related to our core aims. For those volunteers who really want to get into tropical wildlife research and conservation, we also offer a number of “mini-projects” that can be undertaken by one or two people, with full supervision provided by our field research coordinators.
Our current focus is on determining the home range, feeding habits and natural history of several primate species here, including S. fusicollis, C. brunneus, C. aureipalatii, S. boliviensis, C. apella, C. albifrons, A. sara, A. chamek, A. nigriceps.
Qualifications/Experience:
Applicants should have a keen interest in: wildlife, tropical environments, conservation issues in general, and should be able to tolerate the hot, humid, and muddy conditions that are the norm in the Amazon rainforest. Previous overseas travel and field experience would be an asset, as would at least a basic knowledge of Spanish (or a willingness to learn whilst on the project). A high degree of motivation would also fit in well. The mean age of assistants and interns to date is 24, ranging from 17 to 60
The primate team spends a lot of time in the field, health and safety and full GPS training will be provided
Salary/funding:
for more details visit our website, www.faunaforever.org
Application Deadline:
Ongoing
Contact Information:
Fauna Forever
1.5 km Careterra Tambopata
Puerto Maldonado, none
Peru
Website:
http://www.faunaforever.org
E-mail Address:
lucydablin@gmail.com