Coordinator of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia and WBBK Plans for harbour porpoise

Result of Service

High-quality technical coordination of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia and WBBK Plans.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

7 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The ten ASCOBANS Parties have adopted three Action Plans targeting harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): the Recovery Plan for Baltic Harbour Porpoises (Jastarnia Plan) targeting the critically endangered Harbour Porpoises in the Baltic proper; the Recovery Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea (North Sea Plan); and the Conservation Plan for the Harbour Porpoise Population in the Western Baltic, the Belt Sea and the Kattegat (WBBK Plan). There are two Working Groups which regularly review and provide guidance on the implementation of the three action plans. The longest standing, Jastarnia Group, has acted as Steering Group for the Jastarnia Plan and since its adoption in 2012, and it also covers the WBBK Plan. The North Sea Group is responsible for the North Sea Plan.

As outlined in the ASCOBANS Recovery Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea, “Experience has shown that in order to be effective, Conservation Plans must have a recognised, full-time coordinator. This is particularly true where effective conservation requires action (including legislative action) by a number of stakeholders including: intergovernmental and national authorities, scientists from several disciplines, representatives from industry, local communities, and interested NGOs. The scale of work required by this Plan exceeds the resources available within the (part-time) ASCOBANS Secretariat.”

ASCOBANS Parties have therefore since 2017 (AC23) put in place a “Coordinator for the Harbour Porpoise Action Plans” and allocated funds accordingly . Currently, the Jastarnia and WBBK Plans are coordinated separately from the North Sea Plan.

Building on the work already undertaken the individual or organization providing coordination should, under the supervision of the Secretariat, deliver on the following tasks:

1) Coordinate efforts to deliver the action plans, identifying synergies and opportunities for efficiency savings;
2) Review progress under the Jastarnia and WBBK Plans and make proposals for amending the Action Points in advance of the Jastarnia Group meeting;
3) Review latest available information on harbour porpoise bycatch from the fleets operating in the Belt and Baltic Seas;
4) Collate regional information on life history parameters (e.g. age structure, age at sexual maturity, reproductive information) for harbour porpoises in the areas covered by the two plans, ensuring synergies with other fora;
5) Provide technical support at the ICES WGBYC annual meetings and other relevant fora (e.g. Baltic Sea Advisory Council, HELCOM) as feasible;
6) Provide technical support at meetings of the Regional Coordination Group which will develop the regional implementation of the Data Collection Framework (DCF), assuming this is practically feasible; and
7) Provide advice on appropriate funding mechanisms for the long-term implementation of the two action plans and support fundraising efforts.

Specific tasks and responsibilities

The overall output to be achieved is the effective implementation of the above-mentioned two ASCOBANS Action Plans. Specific outputs resulting from the above-mentioned task list under 1.1 include:
1) Regular liaison with Parties and key stakeholders providing implementation support in line with the tasks outlined in 1.1 above;
2) Regular progress reports, including
- Analysis of the implementation of the Action Plans since the previous report (past progress reports can be found here).
- Report on each of the standing Action Points for both Action Plans by Range State.
- Quantitative assessment on progress for both Action Plans, following the format in the past progress reports (“summary table of progress in the implementation”).
- Progress reports should be submitted to the Secretariat prior to the meeting of the Jastarnia Group. Once the Jastarnia Group meeting has reviewed the progress reports, final versions are to be produced and submitted to the ASCOBANS Secretariat within 6 weeks of the meeting;
3) Review the Action Points from the previous Jastarnia Group meeting (and standing Action Points for the Action Plans) prior to the Jastarnia Group meeting, and propose amendments to the ASCOBANS Secretariat, as appropriate, prior to the meeting;
4) Upon the request of the Secretariat or the Chair of the Jastarnia Group, produce reviews and reports as outlined in the above-listed task list, and provide technical support to meetings and attend these, if required.

Qualifications/special skills

Post-graduate degree (Master’s) in zoology, marine sciences, or closely related field. PhD is considered an advantage.
At least seven years in marine nature conservation as well as experience and a proven understanding of the political and legal context and of scientific issues concerning harbour porpoise conservation in the Agreement area, with particular emphasis on the Baltic proper given the conservation status of “critically endangered” in this region; good understanding of the mandates and work of ASCOBANS.

Languages

Excellent communication skills in English are required (other official languages spoken in the Baltic range states are an advantage).

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.