Investiga en un proyecto de expansión de áreas protegidas, corredores ecológicos y conservación de la biodiversidad en Europa

 Oferta compartida por Cristina

Researcher in NaturaConnect

Title of the project

NaturaConnect – Building a resilient ecological network of conserved areas across Europe for nature and people

Principal Investigador for this contract
Prof. Miguel B. Araújo

Team members
Dr. Diogo Alagador, Dr. Frederico Mestre, Dr. Babak Naimi, Ms Dora Neto, Dr. Alejandro Rozenfeld

Background
Funded by the European Union Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and led by the International Institute for Applied systems Analysis (IIASA), this project will support the EU and its Member States in realising the EU strategy for protected areas.

Through research, engagement, and dissemination activities at the European scale and in a set of six case studies (including Portugal), NaturaConnect will elicit stakeholders’ visions and preferences about conservation objectives, tap into best practices in protected areas management and mechanisms for conservation financing, mobilize data and test the TEN-N spatial prioritisation analyses and tools produced by NaturaConnect. This addresses two major obstacles identified by the EU Nature Legislation Fitness Check: lack of stakeholder awareness and cooperation, and insufficient knowledge and access to existing funding mechanisms.

NaturaConnect will further address a third major obstacle: The limited availability of knowledge on biodiversity distribution, drivers of change and conservation solutions. To address this, NaturaConnect brings together a consortium of top European scientists, policy experts and NGOs to produce and mobilize relevant data and knowledge. This includes refining and applying state-of-the-art models on biodiversity, ecosystem services and environmental change across Europe under current and future climate and land-use conditions. Integrated conservation and restoration planning approaches will be utilized to identify, spatially map, and evaluate areas that are most suitable to improve the existing protected area network in Europe.

Equipped with improved data, knowledge, models, and spatial planning methods the project will further identify gaps in protected area coverage, connectivity and resilience under climate and land-use change. NaturaConnect will develop and make available scenarios for an expansion of protected areas and buffer zones, establishment of ecological corridors and other areas of connectivity that address these gaps, thereby offering a blue-print for realizing a truly resilient and coherent TEN-N. In addition, NaturaConnect will provide knowledge and decision support for policy, financing, and implementation of TEN-N at all relevant scales.

More information on the project: https://naturaconnect.eu

Objectives of Natura Connect

Address gaps in coherence and ecological representativeness of existing protection measures.

Identify priority areas for protecting and restoring multifunctional corridors.

Engage stakeholders involved in design and implementation of the TEN-N and co-design tools and guidelines with them for maximal uptake.
Develop future scenarios of nature in Europe based on stakeholders’ societal values and needs.
Review and disseminate spatial planning practices and conservation funding mechanisms and demonstrate in case studies how the decision support tools from the project can be applied across scales and contexts and
Bring together state-of-the-art biodiversity and ecosystem service data and predictive models to contribute to
the design of the TEN-N and a European monitoring system.

Candidate profile

We are looking for a bright and committed candidate with a PhD and publication record in conservation biology, focusing in the development of spatial conservation planning methodologies and spatial analysis of biogeographical data. Research experience in climate change, species distribution modelling and network ecology are useful complements.
PhD in ecology, biology, environmental sciences, geography, or related subject.
Ability to work in groups, share ideas, and network.
Solid knowledge of R (and/or Matlab) and GIS.
Good writing skills and fluency in English.

What we offerOne-year contract with the University of Évora, potentially renewed for a second and third years.
Gross salary of 40K Eur per year.
Membership to maraujolab.eu and engagement with a vibrant network of researchers across Europe.

How to apply Please send your application to catedrabio@uevora.pt (C/o Ana Rita Ferreira) until the 23rd of June 2023 with:
A complete CV (no longer than 5 pages).
A cover letter explaining why you are ideal for the post.
Two names of who can provide references with their contact.

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PhD con trabajo de campo recogiendo muestras en Asia, África y Europa y de laboratorio midiendo flujo genético

Oferta compartida por Cristina

Title:

Fully Funded PhD Assistantship(s) in Wildlife Landscape Genetics/Genomics
Classification:

Graduate Assistantship

Contract
Agency:

University of North Texas

Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Website:

https://www.docorridorswork.com
Job Description:

We are seeking two outstanding candidates for PhDs to join a multi-national collaborative study on conservation corridor efficacy. Conservation corridors are the most frequently cited intervention to safeguard biodiversity in light of ongoing anthropogenic land use and climate change. However empirical evidence of their functionality is primarily derived from theory and small-scale experimental systems. That evidence does not prove corridors will work at the scale and context in which they are designed to function. With funding from a consortium of private foundations and major funding provided by the National Science Foundation and the National Environmental Research Council, we have collected genetic samples from >3000 individuals of nine species, from 14 corridors in 6 countries. Field data are still being collected and processed, and we anticipate having ~6000 samples from 16 corridors in 8 countries once complete. In addition, we have capture, mark, recapture data for most landscapes, and a robust set of covariate data available for use. More information on our efforts to date and the overall experimental design of the study are available at our project website (https://www.docorridorswork.com/).

The incumbent candidate(s) will develop genetic data sets to measure geneflow across corridor connected patches relative to isolates and intact reference areas. This is the primary focus of the fully funded research project, and students will be included as co-authors on all project publications.

In addition to genetic lab work, there will the opportunity for travel and field work. At least two sites will require active field work to collect additional tissue samples via live trapping of wildlife in India, Kenya, and Europe. The successful candidate will also travel with our mobile genetic lab to sites in Kenya and India to work with local project collaborators to collect genetic samples in situ with ongoing trapping efforts. Training will be provided in application of all techniques, but a strong background in genetics is preferred.

Funding is secured and the incumbent(s) will be supported for at least the first year of their studies on an RA. Students will be advised by Dr. Andrew Gregory at the University of North Texas (https://research.unt.edu/), an R1 research university located in Denton, Texas (https://www.discoverdenton.com/). In addition, students may choose to be co-advised by project partners or Co-I’s with backgrounds relevant to their specific thesis questions (see project website for more information on project partners and Co-I’s). Top candidates will be invited to UNT prior to an official offer being made.
Location:

University of North Texas (www.unt.edu)
Salary:

$1,424 - $1,927 /month + tuition

$24,000/year
Qualifications:

Applicants with an MS degree (or equivalent experience) in population, conservation, or landscape genetics are greatly preferred, but all qualified applicants will be considered. The ideal candidate will have experience with one or a combination of the following genetic approaches: microsatellite analysis, sanger sequencing, SNP analysis, next generation/whole genome sequencing, or genotype by sequencing. Experience with GIS, R, and Python are desirable. Applicants must also have strong quantitative, analytical, and writing skills. We particularly encourage applicants from underrepresented groups in STEM.

The successful candidate will be expected to enroll in either the biology (https://biology.unt.edu/graduate-programs/graduate-degrees-biology) or environmental science (https://biology.unt.edu/graduate-programs/graduate-degrees-environmental-science) degree program at the University of North Texas no later than fall 2023.

To apply, please send a resume/CV and cover letter detailing your experiences and qualifications for the position. As part of your application packet please include contact information for two professional references, at least one of which who is capable of speaking to your ability for academic study. Please address all correspondence and send all materials as a zip folder to Dr. Andrew J. Gregory (andrew.gregory@unt.edu).
Application Deadline:

continuing
Start Date:

TBD
Contact Person:

Dr. Andrew J. Gregory

EM: Andrew.gregory@unt.edu

PH: (989)400.3492

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Postdoc desarrollando y analizando corredores ecológicos por toda Europa

Oferta compartida por Cristina

Post-doctoral Researcher – Ecological connectivity conservation and planning (m-f-d) 

Modern, interconnected, conscious of tradition: Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) is the oldest and largest university in the State of Saxony-Anhalt with a history dating back more than 500 years. Today more than 20,000 students are enrolled at the university. MLU’s core research areas are in the nanosciences and biosciences, the Enlightenment, as well as in social and cultural research. The university is also home to a range of small disciplines, some of which can be found nowhere else in Germany. The university has excellent national and international ties, and works closely together with leading research institutes, industry, and more than 250 universities around the world. 

The Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, in cooperation with the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, offers the following position in Leipzig, starting as soon as possible (preferably 1 February 2023) and for 24 months, with possibility for an extension: 

Post-doctoral Researcher – Ecological connectivity conservation and planning (m-f-d) as full-time employment. 

The salary will be up to Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L, if the personal requirements and tasks are fulfilled. The workplace will be in Leipzig in the Biodiversity Conservation research group. 

The project and research group: 

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig is a National Research Centre funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Its central mission is to promote theory-driven synthesis and data-driven theory in integrative biodiversity research. It is located in the city of Leipzig and it is a central institution of the Leipzig University, jointly hosted by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). More information about iDiv: www.idiv.de. 

This position is affiliated with the Biodiversity Conservation Professorship of Prof. Henrique Pereira. The Biodiversity Conservation group investigates patterns and processes of global biodiversity change, with the goal of informing environmental policy and management of ecosystems. For more information, please visit our lab website: www.idiv.de/research/idiv_core_groups/biodiversity_conservation.html. 

This position is funded by the Horizon Europe research project “NaturaConnect: Designing a resilient and coherent Trans-European Network for Nature and People”. NaturaConnect aims to support the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, through an integration of interdisciplinary research and stakeholder engagement across scales, to develop spatial planning policy supporting tools. A key objective is defining a blueprint for identifying multifunctional corridors important to enhance the connectivity and resilience of the European system of protected areas. 

The successful candidate will develop a coherent framework for mapping functional and structural connectivity at the European scale. She/he will also contribute to the design of a resilient Trans-European Nature Network, including connectivity analyses and planning under various environmental change scenarios. The research will be done in collaboration with the NaturaConnect Consortium, which includes scientific institutes across Europe and some of the major European NGOs. The research also involves co-design processes with different stakeholders, including, among others, the European commission, National authorities and protected area managers. 

Tasks: 

• Develop an analytical framework for designing and prioritizing ecological connectivity across various spatial scales, from European to National and sub-national scales. 

• Analyze and simulate spatial configurations of European-scale corridors and their contributions to enhance the cohesion and resilience of the Trans-European Nature Network. 

• Contribute to produce the deliverables of the NaturaConnect project. 

• Actively participate in stakeholders’ workshops, project coordination meetings and other relevant events related to the project research. 

• Write research articles and policy briefs reporting the findings of the research. 

Requirements: 

• A scientific University degree (Diploma/ M.Sc.) in an area related to biodiversity science. 

• A PhD degree in ecology, conservation biology, environmental sciences or related disciplines. 

• Excellent scientific publication record, including one or several of the following topics: spatially explicit ecological modeling, connectivity analyses, spatial conservation planning, scenario projections, or similar. 

• Demonstrated experience in ecological statistics programming and modeling in R and in analyzing spatial biodiversity patterns using geographic information systems. 

• Fluency in English. 

• Excellent communication skills. 

The Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg gives priority to applications from severely disabled candidates with equivalent qualifications. Women are particularly encouraged to apply. Applicants with a degree that was not obtained at a German higher education institution must submit a Statement of Comparability for Foreign Higher Education Qualifications from the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen) to prove equivalence. This Statement can also be submitted after successful completion of the hiring process. 

Queries concerning the application process should be directed to hr@idiv.de. For queries about the research project please contact nestor.fernandez@idiv.de. 

Please submit your full application dossier in English with registration number 4-12481/22-D until 17/11/2022 Applications should be submitted on the website https://apply.idiv.de. Applications should include a motivation letter tailored to the research project, a curriculum vitae, the digital copy of the highest academic degree (e.g. PhD), a publication record and names of two senior scientists who could serve as possible references. Application portfolios will not be returned, application costs will not be reimbursed. 

This announcement is subject to possible budgetary restrictions. 

iDiv is committed to establishing and maintaining a diverse and inclusive community that collectively supports and implements our mission to do great science. We will welcome, recruit, develop, and advance talented staff from diverse genders and backgrounds.

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