You can also view the first Earth Debate – Ecosystem Economics – can we put a price on nature? (recorded live on 25 January 2012). See: www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/videos/1485?fromGateway=true
]]>The EEA has a key role in providing the knowledge base to help the European Commission, European Parliament, EU Member States and other EEA member and cooperating countries to make informed decisions and policies about improving the environment and integrating environmental considerations into economic activities, so as to develop Europe along a sustainable, low-carbon and resource-efficient path.
Further details are available on the EEA's website
http://www.eea.europa.eu/ or http://www.eea.europa.eu/about-us/jobs
The Thünen-Institute of Biodiversity of the Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries (vTI), Braunschweig, Germany is seeking to appoint a Research Associate to perform a review of the available international literature on the impact of tropospheric ozone on biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. The appointment is for 24 months starting April 2012. Salary will be according to the appropriate German civil service level 13, TVÖD, for a half-time position; equivalent to an annual gross salary of 28000 €.
The candidate will work on a project aiming (1) to review and analyze the available literature on the impact of ozone on biodiversity and ecosystem services in terrestrial ecosystems and (2) to assess current uncertainties in concentration-based and flux-based approaches in ozone risk assessments. The candidate will provide a synthesis report (in English) containing the results of the literature survey/review, and a critical analysis and conclusions of the results obtained.
Applicants are expected to hold a Master degree or PhD in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Ecosystem Science or related fields. Previous experience in the field of air pollution research, and on ecological effects of ozone, in particular is highly desirable. In addition, applicants must be competent in written and spoken English.
vTI supports gender equality at work and encourages females to apply.
Handicapped applicants are specially considered if equally qualified for the job; a minimum of physical fitness is required.
Please submit applications by email, including your CV and names and contact details of three referees to Juergen.bender@vti.bund.de
Deadline for applications is 28 February 2012.
For information, please contact:
Dr. Jürgen Bender
Institut of Biodiversity
Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institute (vTI)
Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig
Germany
E-mail: Juergen.bender@vti.bund.de
Because people are eager to start, interested people should reply to this facilitation service before 15 March 2012!
The 25 ALTER-Net partner institutes are listed below. You can also find more information here:
The ERC Advanced Grant funding targets researchers who have already established themselves as independent research leaders in their own right.
ERC Advanced Grants in brief:
For details see the ERC website. The deadline dates are shown here: http://erc.europa.eu/call-proposals.
]]>Eligible funding areas in terms of environmental risks are:
For full details, see the AXA Research website.
Geographical areas of interest are:
For further details, please visit the MacArthur Foundation website.
]]>The special issue, which was co-edited by Dr Sandra Luque of ALTER-Net partner Irstea (formerly CEMAGREF), can be found online here: http://www.springerlink.com/content/0921-2973/27/2/ (subscription required).
This issue was made possible thanks to support from Landscape Ecology Journal and also from the IUFRO Forest Landscape Ecology working Party and IALE members.
Luque, S., Saura, S. and Fortin, M-J. (eds). 2012. Special Issue: Landscape connectivity analysis for conservation: insights from combining new methods with ecological and genetic data. Landscape Ecology 27(2).
http://www.springerlink.com/content/0921-2973/27/2/
For information see: http://www.jrsbdf.org/v3/Applicants.asp.
The Foundation seeks applications proposing projects to establish a clear connection and identifiable potential link to conservation outcomes, and an explanation of the tangible uses of the data that may be yielded via the grant. No minimum or maximum funding limit has been established for individual grants but JRS is allocating an amount of $1 million US dollars to fund this new call for each of the next 3 years. More costly projects will have a higher review threshold.
All pre-proposals will be evaluated on their own merits and only those submitted using the Foundation website will be considered. You will need to comply with the word limit for your responses to each of the questions on the pre-proposal template. No exceptions will be allowed. You may begin the application process immediately. No pre-proposals will be accepted after 15 February 2012.
Responses to this new invitation must further the general interests of the Foundation.
Mission: To enhance knowledge and promote the understanding of biological diversity for the benefit and sustainability of life on earth.
There is a particular interest in focusing on interdisciplinary activities primarily carried out via collaborations in developing countries and economies in transition with a special interest in Africa but will consider exceptional projects outside of Africa on a limited basis.
Within those bounds a strategic interest has been chosen to: advance projects, or parts of biodiversity informatics projects that focus on:
For more information, see: http://www.jrsbdf.org/v3/Applicants.asp
Remember, the Foundation will only accept pre-proposals for this call via its website. If you have a problem entering your information please contact the Foundation IT support at support@sitetechs.com.
The team "Agro-ecology and ecological restoration of subalpine and alpine ecosystems" of the Research Unit Mountain Ecosystems at Irstea in Grenoble is offering a position for a PhD student. The research of the team focuses on the functioning of mountain ecosystems and associated ecosystem services. We are particularly interested in the dynamics of these ecosystems and the interactions between certain of its components and pastoral practices, recreational use and climate change.
As part of this thesis the candidate will explore the consequences of two aspects of climate change (higher frequency in drought recurrence and increased temperature) on the interactions between plants and soil with a particular attention on the relationship between plants and mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, there is a trade-off between positive (higher temperature increases mycorrhizal hyphae length and thus soil volume explored by AMF) and negative effects (increased drought frequency reduces AMF colonization rates of roots) due to climate change. Following these changes, it may be that the interactions between plants and AMF slide towards the parasitic part of the mutualism-parasitism continuum and primary production of mountain grasslands will be reduced accordingly.
The successful candidate should hold a master or diploma degree in biology, ecology or similar with a good knowledge of terrestrial ecology and plant-soil interactions. Practical experience in plant ecology, functional ecology, statistical analysis, analysis of vegetation and soil are an advantage. You should have a good knowledge of written and spoken English. Knowledge of French is an advantage, but not necessary. You should be dynamic and motivated for field work under sometimes difficult conditions, laboratory work and office work. Driving license is required. The work place will be Grenoble, France. The position is funded for 3 years, and the target start date is November 2012 (negotiable).
To apply: Please email before 20th May 2012 as a single electronic document (pdf) with the subject line "PhD PROMYCO" a cover letter including a short statement of research interests, your CV, contact details of three people willing to provide a recommendation, a concise description of your master work and if available a list of publications to: Dr. Thomas Spiegelberger – thomas.spiegelberger@irstea.fr – 00 33 4 76 76 28 19.
]]>The EUROPARC Federation is Europe’s biggest network supporting and representing the work of Europe’s Protected Areas. Reflecting the multifarious interests of its members in nature conservation, sustainable tourism development, capacity building and European environment policy development and implementation, good strategic and specific communication is central to our work.
EUROPARC is searching for a new Communications Officer to join their small but dedicated directorate team.
This key position will guide the outputs of the Federation both internally to over 400 members in 36 countries and externally to the wide range of media, organisations and the public with whom the Federation communicates.
Proficient written skills in English are essential and good knowledge (B1 or higher) in German is desirable. Additional European languages are advantageous.
Experience in the production of publications and press work as well as in the management of websites and social media content are essential. Close liaison with members through the creation of online newsletter are all also essential.
EUROPARC are looking for an innovative and creative thinker who is adaptable and responsive to change. They must work well under pressure and be able to juggle several projects at once. They are generally outgoing and comfortable meeting new people. Due to the nature of the work they must be accurate, flexible, enthusiastic, and responsible.
Operating from the Headquarters in Regensburg, Germany, the Communications Officer will contribute to the small multi-tasking dedicated team.
Salary will start from 2500Euros monthly gross, depending on age and experience. This will initially be no more than a two year contract.
Job description and details can be obtained from the EUROPARC website.
Interested parties should please send a CV with a letter of interest detailing your relevant experience by 12pm (CET) on Monday 13th February. Interviews will be held in Regensburg, Germany, during the week commencing 27th February.
Applicants should submit to: office@europarc.org
]]>The coordinators of the WWViews project are looking for National Partners to host a citizen consultation on Biodiversity in September in their country or region. Project managers will receive training in the WWViews method at a training seminar in Copenhagen on March 28 – 30.
Further information for potential National Partners:http://biodiversity.wwviews.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/p11_Letter_of_Invitation-World_Wide_Views_on_Biodiversity.pdf
]]>The EU has set itself the ambitious goal of halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services by 2020, and restoring them as far as feasible. The EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 (COM(2011) 244 final) translates this headline objective into 6 mutually supportive and inter-dependent targets. Target 2 in particular requires that by 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced by establishing green infrastructure and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. The Commission has announced a 'no net loss' initiative by 2015 as part of a list of actions to reach this target.
The Commission is establishing a Working Group on 'No Net Loss of Ecosystem and their Services' to assist in the development of the 'no net loss' initiative announced for 2015 in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020.
To ensure constructive and focused discussions, all members are expected to actively contribute to the debate and to the content with their input and expertise on the agenda points.
The objective of the consultation is to obtain a representative picture of the positions of relevant stakeholders and to collect the views of the participants on the future initiative.
Those interested in participating in the Working Group meetings are invited to confirm their interest by filling a registration form and submitting it before 31 January 2012 via e-mail to ENV-BIODIVERSITY@ec.europa.eu. Due to the limited capacity of the venue, participants will be selected in a way to ensure a fair and representative participation of stakeholders. Invitations will be limited to one individual per organisation and priority will be given to organisations representing the views of stakeholders at EU level. Participants are invited to express their views and share ideas on how to shape the 'no net loss initiative' to ensure its success. The meeting will be held in English. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to submit their views in writing for up to two weeks after the meeting.
For full details please see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/wgnnl.htm.
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