Talk on trees of tafea

Job Available: Do you want to help conserve threatened species?

Are you outgoing and great at engaging people? Are you passionate about the environment and protecting threatened animals and plants? Are you organised and do you have good computer skills? Then you might be the person we are looking for!

VESS has a position for a project officer to conduct awareness about species in Vanuatu threatened with extinction. The position will also involve administrative tasks at the VESS office in Port Vila. The job will be based in Port Vila with some travel to the islands to conduct awareness campaigns.

Criteria:

  • Minimum qualification of a year 13 high school certificate SPFSC however candidates with a Bachelor Degree in a natural science subject will have an advantage.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills.
  • A passion and enthusiasm for the environment and conservation.
  • Previous experience in project implementation desirable
  • Computer literacy including email and Microsoft suite.

Salary: 300-400 VT per hour commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Language: English, Bislama, French is an advantage.

Closing Date for applications: 5 pm Friday 2nd December

How To Apply: Please address your cover letter (max 1 page) to Dr. Christina Shaw.

In your letter please include one paragraph about a threatened species found in Vanuatu that you are passionate about. Please mention why you believe its conservation is important and what measures can be taken to conserve it.

Send you letter together with your CV (max 2 pages) by email to  vess@vanuatuconservation.org.

There is no need to send academic record or references at this stage.

Photo from ARKive of the White-necked petrel (Pterodroma cervicalis) - http://www.arkive.org/white-necked-petrel/pterodroma-cervicalis/image-G87832.html

Photo from ARKive of the White-necked petrel (Pterodroma cervicalis) – http://www.arkive.org/white-necked-petrel/pterodroma-cervicalis/image-G87832.html

 

Scholarships available for Masters in Conservation Leadership at Cambridge University

There are scholarships available particular for those from developing countries. Must have 3 to 5 years experience in biodiversity conservation and show leadership potential.

Here is the information from Cambridge:

Cambridge Masters in Conservation Leadership

Applications and scholarship support for October 2017

The MPhil degree in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge is a full-time, eleven month course aimed at graduates of leadership potential with at least three to five years of relevant experience in biodiversity conservation. Based in the University’s Department of Geography, a unique feature of this course is its delivery by members of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI), a partnership between six university departments and nine conservation organisations or networks based in and around Cambridge. In 2016 a Conservation Campus for the CCI organisations was opened in the refurbished David Attenborough Building in central Cambridge. The Masters in Conservation Leadership has a dedicated teaching room within the building, offering our students constant access to world-leading conservation organisations, practitioners and researchers.

The Masters in Conservation Leadership focuses on issues of management and leadership. It aims to develop conservationists with enhanced awareness of the complex drivers of biodiversity loss, and the ability to act and lead effectively. Consequently, the course aims to deliver a world-class and interdisciplinary education in Conservation Leadership that is not available elsewhere.

  • We now welcome applications for entry to the course in October 2017. For further details on how to apply, please visit the course website:

http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation/

  • The closing date for applications is 7 December 2016.

We are pleased to be able to continue offering Miriam Rothschild Scholarships in Conservation Leadership to support students attending the MPhil in Conservation Leadership. Successful applicants for scholarships will have outstanding conservation leadership potential, but be unable to fund their studies from other sources. Particular priority for scholarships will be given to those from countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources. Various other awards are available through sources such as the Cambridge Trusts.

If you have any queries about making an application, please contact the Programme Administrator, Lisa Harris: admin.conservationleadership@geog.cam.ac.uk

VESS is contributing to the exhibition at Foundation Bastien

The exhibition “Sik Plastik Blong Solwota” opens tonight. VESS was asked to contribute some information about the problem of plastics in our seas in Vanuatu. We have produced a few posters with the information so if you are going to the exhibition tonight or in the next few weeks then look out for the VESS posters.

VESS contributes to Exhibition on marine pollution

Injured turtle

New employee at VESS

Our new employee

Meet Douglas, our new Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project Scientist (he is the one on the right). He graduated in Marine Biology this year from USP and is now employed full time on our project. Ajay, also a marine biology graduate is working for us a couple of days a week too.

New employee at VESS

International Coastal Clean Up 2016