Landscape Assistant for Korup-Oban Landscape

Want to make a positive difference to the future of people and our one shared home, the Earth? Working with WWF could be the opportunity of a lifetime:

All around the world, people are waking up to the deepening crisis of nature loss. A growing realization that nature is our life-support system. And that nobody will be spared from the impacts of its loss. Here at WWF, we are helping to tackle this enormous global challenge.

Our people come from hugely diverse backgrounds and with a variety of expertise, ranging from HR and finance to advocacy and conservation science. We welcome applications from anyone who believes they can help us create a better future for people and wildlife.

What we do:

We are an independent conservation organization, striving to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife. From individuals and communities to business and government, we are part of a growing coalition calling on world leaders to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030. Together, we seek to protect and restore natural habitats, stop the mass extinction of wildlife, and make the way we produce and consume sustainable. WWF Network has moved to the development and the implementation of 9 Practices with Global Goals to be achieved.

For our Country Office in Cameroon, we are looking for a dynamic and committed Landscape Assistant for Korup-Oban Landscape.

Reports to: Landscape Advisor

Landscape: Korup-Oban

Location: Mundemba

Duration: Two (02) years

The mission of the department

In pursuit of her vision of a future with healthy ecosystems and thriving biodiversity supporting people and driving sustainable development in Cameroon, WWF Cameroon (WWF CCO) went into partnership with the Programme for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources – South West Region (PSMNR-SWR). The partnership is currently in its fifth phase, covering the period 15 September 2023 to December 2025. The goal of the Programme is to contribute towards the preservation of high-value ecosystems in South-West Region, thereby contributing to improved livelihoods of the surrounding communities in a sustainable manner. The purpose is sustainable forest and wildlife management by affected stakeholders for their benefit, with special emphasis on the poorer segments of the local populations.

Broadly, PSMNR-SWR Phase IV has been set up to achieve the following:

• Consolidate and build on the achievements and lessons from the collaborative management of protected areas (PA) initiated in the previous phases;
• Support the institutionalization of the co-management process through local planning instruments (CDP, MP…);
• Promote an integrated landscape approach to enhance connectivity and promote enlarged conservation areas with surrounding forest entities;
• Promote targeted biodiversity conservation strategies towards strategic communities and groups;
• Assess what financing mechanisms (e.g. market based mechanisms, compensation schemes, business investments, corporate contributions/ sponsorship, fiscal instruments) can be successfully applied under the given conditions to generate the identified fund flow;
• Support transboundary collaboration and management of transboundary protected areas.

Major Functions

• With the support of the Landscape Advisor, he/she will contribute to the consolidation and capitalization of the achievements and lessons of the collaborative protected area management approach at landscape level;
• Support transboundary collaboration and management of transboundary protected areas;
• Support protected area management, in particular the co-management aspects, in the Korup-Oban landscape;
• Pro-actively support the implementation of the landscape approach around the KNP and the setting up of land-based Payment for Ecosystem Services;
• With guidance from the Landscape Advisor, he/she will support institutionalization of co-management and spatially define the intervention, and support institutionalization within CDP taking into consideration landscape approach through community forests and agro-industrial complex around the Korup-Oban landscape, and;
• Assist with monitoring and evaluation, reporting and communication of, and learning from PSMNR and WWF initiatives in the Korup-Oban Landscape.

The above major functions will be carried out with very close supervision from the Landscape Advisor.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the mitigation of land-use conflict around Korup National Park;
• Support to facilitate the negotiation of participatory corridor management of important wildlife corridors, their integration into Communal Development Plans and supervise its implementation;
• Support the institutionalization of the collaborative PA management approach and its integration into legal planning processes (PA management plans, Council Development Plans, Land-use Plans at community and council levels;
• Support the capacity building of stakeholders in the co-management process;
• Support the identification and implementation of cluster specific collaborative management activities;
• Contribute to the implementation of targeted intervention of the hunter engagement for the benefit of communities and groups with strong impact on KNP;
• Contribute to the cooperative/enterprise development for farm and forest producers;
• Support development of NTFP database and the sustainable management of NTFPs by local communities inside and around the PAs;
• Contribute to PA staff capacity building;
• Support research to address priority issues for key wildlife, high conservation value forest for habits conservation;
• Support the elaboration/revision Cluster Conservation and Development Agreements of PA, CDPs and landscape management plans/tools;
• Contribute to the joint use and maintenance of the WWF and PSMNR-SWR Geographical Information System (GIS) database and the establishment of similar databases for knowledge management at PA levels;
• Contribute to the WWF and PSMNR communication by providing articles for publication;
• Assist in developing monthly, semester and annual work plans and budgets for approval by PSMNR-SWR;
• Monitor and report at agreed frequencies and formats the activities in the approved work plans;
• Prepare required technical progress reports for the landscape using standard WWF reporting format, and
• Develop ToRs for service providers, consultants, or Local Support Organizations (LSO) to assist with implementation of approved activities in the landscape.

Profile:

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree (with 3-5 years of experience) in one or more of following domains: geography, forestry and wildlife, natural resource management, sustainable development, or any related specialization, and;
• Minimum of 3-5 years of professional experience in the area of protected area management and sustainable management of natural resources, with experience in community or rural development.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Technical skills in land use planning and natural resource management;
• Strong technical skills in designing and implementing community projects;
• Good knowledge on wildlife and protected areas management;
• Good knowledge of legal and institutional framework in the area of forest and wildlife resources management, and land use planning in Cameroon;
• Strong technical, communication and organizational skills;
• Ability to work and interact with people of different backgrounds;
• Good team spirit and familiarity with the functioning of local and international organizations;
• Computer literate and good knowledge of data analysis and basic GPS/GIS skills;
• Fluency in English, familiarity with French and local knowledge of the area will be an advantage.

WWF’s Values & Behaviors:

• Accountable, Persevering & Delivering Results;
• Willingness and ability to work in a remote area with low supervision, native from the area will be an added advantage;
• Proactive approach to meeting deadlines and delivering results with limited supervision;
• Demonstrates WWF behaviors in way of working: Strive for Impact, Listen Deeply, Collaborate Openly, Innovate Fearlessly;
• Adhere to WWF’s values: Courage, Respect, Integrity and Collaboration.

Working Relationships:

• Internal

The Landscape Assistant will work closely with the Landscape Advisor, the CFP Program Manager, the Landscape Management Coordinator, the Cameroon country program team and relevant WWF network staff.

• External

Within the PSMNR-SWR set-up, the Landscape Assistant will work closely with the co-management Unit of the KNP and landscape management unit of RDFOF in order to ensure proper coordination and standardized intervention. The Landscape Assistant is the direct counterpart of the conservator of the Korup National Park, the Head of the co-management unit (CMU) at the park, Community Development Officer (CDO) and Local Support Organizations (LSO) in the animation of the co-management intervention around KNP. For its intervention at landscape level, the Landscape Assistant will collaborate directly with the Korup-Oban TOU Conservator/Assistant Conservator (DDFOF Ndian) and concerned Councils/LSOs across the protected area and landscape.

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs.