CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: CARE
Country: Somalia
Closing date: 06 Feb 2015

TECHNICAL ADVISOR RANGELAND MANAGEMENT

1. Background

In Somalia extensive environmental degradation has emerged to be a main cause of poverty as a result of unsustainable utilization of natural resources. Human population pressure, overstocking, poor legislation and enforcement, encroachment to the rangeland, rapid expansion in the production of charcoal in recent years and climate change have combined to cause undue pressure to the scarce and fragile environmental resources. Consequently, the livestock dependent livelihoods of the rural communities have become increasingly vulnerable and are one the main causes of the country-wide chronic food insecurity. The social indicators in Somalia are amongst the worst in the world for health and education, while the Gross National Income (GNI) is the third lowest in the world. It is estimated that land under permanent pasture varies from 46 to 56% of Somalia's surface area. About 20% of the country’s surface is classified as forest - a percentage which has been in constant decline over the past two decades.

According to a September 2012 NRM assessment in Puntland, community members described degradation of the rangeland resources as the main cause of their livelihood problems. The clearing of trees, mainly acacia, for charcoal production is a widespread practice that has contributed to a total loss of vegetation coverage of +37% (strong) in the target areas between 1982 and 2008. Trees are critical for livestock to survive periods of drought as they are a source of fodder, but they also prevent the top soil essential to pasture growth from being eroded.

An underlying cause of environmental degradation has been the collapse of the governance systems that used to support adequate management of natural resources since the disintegration of the central governement in 1991. The success of the previous government system relied heavily on central government directed range management, involving heavy investments in infrastructure, staffing, training and equipment. As part of efforts to revive this system, the government passed Puntland Law No. 2 in 2000 that deals with the development of rangeland and water and Law No. 3 dealing with land use. However, at present, there is a recognition in Puntland that the environment is not conducive to a governance model that relies heavily on the role of government. The Puntland government is very fragile, has a very limited presence outside the main towns, and relies on negotiation and building consensus with the various clans who seek to gain political power and control over resources. Therefore a top down approach to natural resource management is not feasible in this context and another model is called for.

The Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MoEWT) was established in 2009. However since its creation, serious technical and human resources gaps as well as problems with the administrative organisation at all levels, and particularly at the regional and district levels, have not been resolved. The Ministry remains ill equipped, understaffed, and lacks the technical expertise to implement the policies and objectives required to fulfill its mandate.

The added value and innovative nature of the intervention lies in the focus on hybrid models of governance that bring together traditional governance approaches at community level with formal approaches through the State. Throughout Somalia it has become clear that this approach tends to much more successful and builds much more on inherent governance capacities within Somali society than approaches focused on a purely State building oriented model or models that purely rely on traditional/informal mechanisms. The program will support the government to play a supportive and facilitative role with communities, to decentralize further in order to be enabled to play that role, but also to help communities to develop their ability to self-organize at the district level and liaise and collaborate with the government. Traditional management of the natural resources through Xeer (Customary law) is currently unable to provide effective NRM strategies as it has been weakened by the protracted natural resource conflicts and fragmentation of governance. The program strategy is geared to re-operationalize customary law through joint community-government action. Awareness creation will be a major component of the action in order to provide opportunity to restore adequate institutional arrangements. The program will also strengthen community capacity to mitigate conflict over natural resources through improved community governance of these resources. Another added value of the action is that it contributes to overall thinking and action on decentralized models of governance in Puntland, supporting the constitutional mechanisms through districts and village committees. Finally through our emphasis on involvement of women and youth in the different structures and activities we will help ensure their voices are heard and that they can participate more effectively in governance mechanisms.

2. Job Summary

The assignment is a 3 year consultancy and secondment to the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism in Puntland. The successful candidate will lead on the rangeland management component and decentralization of NRM to the regional, district and village levels as outlined in the EC project proposal “Deegaankaagu waa noloshaada” (your environment is your life). The position aims to support the Ministry in ensuring that its work is visible and operational at the district level. S/he will support in linkage of community and government officials through the District Pastoralists’ Associations (DPA) and Village Committees (VC). Training, mentorship and coaching of these structures to become effective in management of rangelands forms a large part of the incumbent’s work.

3. Aimed for Results

The position will be responsible for the following result areas, working closely with the Ministry staff, project partners and supported by the CARE Project Manager and Training Advisor.

Result 1: Build capacity of ministry staff based at the headquarter, regional and district levels in NRM, particularly Rangeland Management and Pastoralism

Result 2: *Work with project partners and ministry to develop training curricula for district and village level structures involved in the management of range resources.*

Result 3: *Work with the ministry to establish district based associations in ten districts. These associations will lead in conservation efforts at district level and regularly report on progress at village level.*

Result 4: *Implement training for the district and village structures, including the establishment of a cohort of trainers (TOTs) who will regularly carry out refresher training activities in their locale.*

Result 5: Research and learning: development of policy briefs and best practices in drylands management, pastoralism, institutional strengthening of grassroots structures in NRM and the role of women in NRM.

4. Requirements

The successful candidate will meet the following requirements:

1. A Masters degree in Environmental Planning and Management, Natural Resource Management (NRM) Dryland Management or Rural development (with a focus on drylands). Relevant social science degrees will be considered
2. At least 5 years solid experience in natural resource management in developing countries Experience in East/Horn of Africa will be an added advantage
3. Demonstrated understanding of rangeland management policies
4. Understanding of the Somali context, customary law and governance system highly desired
5. Somali language skills are highly desirable
6. Highly motivated, self-drive personality with strong problem solving ability
7. Communicative, ability to conduct training needs assessments and training
8. Excellent report wiring skills is mandatory
9. Excellent team building, coaching and mentoring skills
10. Excellent facilitation and Training of Trainers (TOT) skills and knowledge of adult learning principles
11. A strong team player

How to apply:

How to apply:

Please submit your application letter and updated CV to consultants@som.care.orgby 6^th February 2015, quoting the job title of this post.Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer, promoting gender, equity and diversity. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

For more information about CARE and its programs, visit www.care.org