Job Announcements: Meso-American Barrier Reef System Project

[Mhatziolos at worldbank.org]

Three positions are being recruited for the Project Coordination Unit to
oversee implementation of a GEF/World Bank Regional Project for the
Conservation and Sustainabel Use of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System,
based in Belize City. The positions are for a Coral Reef Monitoring
Specialist, a Webmaster/Information Management Specialist, and a Natural
Resources Management Specialist.

Project Description

The goal of the Project is to enhance protection of the unique and
vulnerable marine ecosystems of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System,
extending from Quintana Roo, Mexico, through Belize, Guatemala and the Bay
Islands of Honduras.  The Project is part of a long-term Program to
safeguard the integrity and continued productivity of this transboundary
marine ecosystem and is being actively promoted by a variety of donors and
partners in the region, including WWF.

The objectives of the Project are to: (a) strengthen Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs) within the MBRS; (b) develop and implement a regional
ecosystem monitoring and information system that will provide a synoptic
view of the health of the MBRS and facilitate dissemination of these
findings throughout the region; (c) promote measures which will serve to
reduce non-sustainable patterns of economic exploitation, focusing
initially on the fisheries and tourism sectors; (d) increase local and
national capacity for environmental management through education,
information sharing and training; and (e) facilitate the strengthening and
coordinating of national policies, regulations, and institutional
arrangements for marine ecosystem conservation and sustainable use.


1.  Coral Reef/Environmental Monitoring Specialist

The objective is to facilitate the installation, operation and maintenance
of the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) of the MBRS.  The specialist
with be responsible for overseeing the technical team hired to design the
EMP and for directing and supervising the execution of their duties. The
EMP will involve the collection of information on sea currents, high-risk
contamination areas, coral reef community structure and dynamics,
relationships among ecosystems of the MBRS and factors that influence
ecosystem dynamics, and help determine their state.  Socioeconomic
information will also be collected. This information will be entered into
a regional EIS to assist decision makers responsble for managing the MBRS.

Qualifications
The Environmental Monitoring Program Specialist must meet the following
requirements:

 (i)  Masters or Doctorate Degree in Marine Biology, Quantitative Ecology
or other similar qualifications;  (ii)  five to ten years work experience
in the management and monitoring of coastal zones, preferably in coral
reef monitoring in the MBRS region; (iii) be bilingual, English and
Spanish (fluency in reading, writing and speaking).

2. Information Systems Specialist/Webmaster
The Information/Webmaster Specialist will organize, design and implement an
Environmental Information System (EIS) and the web page for the MesoAmerican
Barrier Reef System (MBRS) project.  He/she will also be responsible for
updating and administering the MBRS web page.

Qualifcations

The Information Specialist must meet the following requirements: (i.) M.
Sc. or B. Sc. in information or systems engineering; (ii) 5 to 10 years
work experience in Regional Information Systems; (iii)  bilingual, English
and Spanish (fluency in reading, writing and speaking).

3. Natural Resources Management Specialist
The NRM specialist is charged with strengthening the technical management
of the Project Implementation Unit through the organization and
supervision of tasks associated with: Management of Marine Protected
Areas, the Promotion of Sustainable Use and Alternative Livelihoods, and
Environmental Education.  The NRM Specialist will be responsible for
drafting Terms of Reference for specialists hired to implement these
activities, help coordinate MBRS Project actvities with other initiatives
in the region, and work closely with Project and counterpart technical
staff to incorporate relevant results into the Environmental Information
System (EIS) of the MBRS. Qualifications: The Natural Resources Management
Specialist will have a PhD or Masters Degree in Marine Sciences or Coastal
Resources Management.  S/he must have 5-10 years working experience in
natural resources in the MBRS region, an excellent command of Spanish and
English and possess thorough knowledge of existing institutions and
organizations in MBRS area.  The Natural Resources Management Specialist
should have knowledge in community development, formal & informal teaching
and experience in areas related to environmental and social sectors.  
Leadership experience and supervision of group tasks and ability to
organize activities is highly desirable.

Successful candidates will live in Belize, the headquarters for the MBRS,
and will be required to travel locally and regionally and to other areas
of interest to to the MBRS Project.

Closing date for receiving applications is March 12, 2001.

For further information, including detailed Terms of Reference, contact:

MesoAmerican Barrier Reef System Project
Fisheries Administartion Building
P.O. Box 148
Princess Margaret Drive
Belize City, Belize
Tel: 501-2-33895/ Fax: 501-2-34513
E-mail: mbrs at btl.net or jacobs_nd at yahoo.com

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Marea E. Hatziolos
Senior Coastal and Marine Specialist
Environment Department
MC5-845
The World Bank
1818 H.  St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20433
tel:  (202) 473-1061
fax: (202) 522-0367

~~~~~~~
For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the
digests, please visit www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the
menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver.