Volunteer GIS trainer for the Greater Mara Ecosystem (GME), Kenya

NOT COASTAL-MARINE RELATED BUT INTERESTING GIS & CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITY!

Position: 2 volunteer GIS trainer

Start date: End of January 2006 (for 3 months)

Closing application date: 20th December

Position Location: Greater Mara Ecosystem (GME), Kenya

Project background: In response to the continuing threats to wildlife
In the GME, Friends of Conservation-Kenya and the Durrell Institute of
Conservation and Ecology have partnered to develop the Maasai Community
Scout Programme.

The programme aims to empower Maasai communities to monitor and protect
their natural resources and to manage human-wildlife conflict. The 74
Maasai scouts, who are located across the GME, have three main
activities.

The first two activities involve daily patrols across the GME to
monitor wildlife populations and to monitor their threats. These
activities are critical for understanding the where wildlife is most
vulnerable and requires greatest protection. The third activity involves
working directly with the local communities through community outreach.
This provides the scouts with an opportunity to report back to their
communities, updating them on their work, such as any problems that they
encountered. It also provides the communities with an opportunity to
question the scouts on various issues ranging from better natural
resource management to land rights. The scout patrol areas are
subdivided by 11 group ranches, and They report to one of the 6 Maasai
scout coordinators that cover these areas.

Position Description: Living in the GME, the successful volunteer will
work with the 6 scout coordinators in developing their ArcView GIS
skills. This will include activities such as inputting wildlife and
threat monitoring data, basic spatial analyses, mapping habitat change
(with a GPS) and map production for monthly reports.

Accommodation and travel within the GME will be provided and the
successful volunteer must provide funds for their flight to Kenya
(approx. £400), food (approx. £2-5/day), visa (approx. £30) and
insurance (approx. £40).

The position is available for 3 months.

For further details please contact Matthew Linkie and send a CV to
m.linkie@kent.ac.uk
Or visit the project website at http://www.foc-uk.com/kenya.asp

Source: SIG@LISTSERV.REDIRIS.ES

I hope this is of your interest. Regards,

Jorge Brenner