Education and Training Program in

Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation

Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Application Deadline: 12th March 2010 (16hrs East Africa time)

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

The SysTem for Analysis Research and Training (START) and the Institute of Resource
Assessment (IRA), with financial support from the MacArthur Foundation, announce the 2010
Education and Training Program in Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation in the
Albertine Rift Region of Africa. Applications are invited from early to mid-career conservation
researchers and practitioners; masters-level graduate students; and university educators currently
teaching courses related to conservation and natural resource management.

The program offers interdisciplinary learning through the use of course modules that allow
participants to acquire knowledge and skills in assessing climate change risks to ecosystems and
biodiversity, and strategies for their conservation, and through field externship projects whereby
participants are able to apply what they have learned in the course to actual conservation efforts
in the region. Participants who are university educators will receive focused training in the use
and application of distance learning modules on climate change and biodiversity conservation,
rather than participating in field externship projects.

Course modules will be offered at Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es

Salaam from 19 July - 3 September 2010. Externship projects will commence immediately
following completion of coursework, and are anticipated to last approximately two months.
Training in distance learning modules will commence on 6 September 2010 and last
approximately 1 week.

Program description
The course modules are intended to generate comprehensive understanding of how climate
change could impact ecosystems and biodiversity, the implications of that change on current
conservation practices, and strategies for how to develop responsive strategies for adapting to
potential impacts. The curriculum will cover:

• Observed and projected climate variability and change in the Albertine Rift region;
• Mechanisms by which climate affects ecosystems and biodiversity;
• Past effects of climate on ecosystems of the region and projected future impacts,
including synergistic effects with non-climatic stressors;
• Impacts of ecosystem change and species loss on human livelihoods and well-being;
• Existing approaches to biodiversity conservation (e.g. protected areas, landscape design
and management, and matrix management), and challenges to these approaches from
climate change;

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 • Tools, methods, and approaches for adapting conservation strategies to a changing
climate and to other drivers of change; and
• Synergies and trade-offs between strategies for climate change adaptation and climate
change mitigation initiatives, such as Reducing Emissions from Degradation and
Deforestation (REDD).

The material will be taught in two three-week courses, with a field trip to visit biodiversity
conservation sights offered in between the two courses. The first course will concentrate on
understanding climate change in the context of biodiversity conservation in the Albertine Rift
Region, and the second course will focus on specific tools, methods and approaches for
integrating climate change into conservation management. Participants will receive hands-on
training on how to 1) assess climate risks to ecosystems, species and human livelihoods; 2) design
climate responsive conservation strategies; and 3) communicate risks and engage stakeholders. In
addition, university educators will receive training in the use and application of distance learning
modules to teach climate change subjects within the conservation curriculum of their home
universities. Courses modules will be conducted using lectures, case studies, group discussions,
computer labs and seminar presentations.

Following completion of the two courses, participants other than university educators will be
expected to engage in a research project to fulfill the externship requirement. Project participants
will be placed in teams of 3-5 individuals, under the guidance of an expert supervisor, to work
with existing conservation programs/projects in the Albertine Rift region on developing climate
risk assessments of biodiversity initiatives of high priority to the region. [Participating university
educators will not be required to undertake externship research projects but will instead receive
training in the use of distance-learning modules.]

The externship project activity will enable participants to acquire hands-on experience in
conducting climate risk assessments, drawing on knowledge and skills gained through the course,
and it will enrich scientific understanding of interactions between climate change and local
drivers of ecosystem change that influence biodiversity conservation ecosystem function in the
region. Participants will be expected to generate publishable manuscripts based on the outcomes
of their research. One participant from each group will also be expected to present externship
research outcomes at a planned regional science-policy dialogue on climate change and
biodiversity in the Albertine Rift in 2011.

Participant performance will be evaluated on the basis of written reports, presentations (seminar,
case studies etc), classroom participation and externship projects. Successful participants will also
be awarded a certificate of program completion from the University of Dar es Salaam.

Eligibility
The Education and Training Program is open to:
• Early to mid-career conservation researchers and practitioners working in
governmental/non-governmental organizations with missions to manage and protect
lands, natural resources, habitat and species;
• Masters-level graduate students in natural resource management, environmental science,
conservation biology and related fields; and
• University educators currently teaching courses related to conservation and natural
resource management

Applicants to the program must be African nationals and priority will be given to applicants

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from the Albertine Rift countries i.e. Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania
and Uganda. Applicants must at minimum have a bachelor’s degree; familiarity with climate
change/conservation concepts and with methods and tools such as remote sensing data, GIS
applications, etc., will be an added advantage. University educators must, in addition, possess a
master’s degree.

Selection Criteria
Course enrollment is limited to 30 participants; 20 participants will be selected from the
conservation researcher/practitioner/graduate student applicant pool and 10 participants will be
selected from the university educator applicant pool. Selection of applicants will be based upon
previous academic and professional preparation, potential to apply knowledge and skills gained in
the program to conservation/academic work, country of residence and gender balance. Priority
will be given to applicants from countries of the Albertine Rift region.

Criteria for selection include:

• Level of education and relevant experience and training;
• Level of competence in the applicant’s field(s) and intellectual abilities;
• Academic/Professional interests in areas related to and general familiarity with the topics
of climate change and biodiversity conservation;
• Future professional plans, commitment to work in the Albertine Rift region and potential
for future leadership;
• Preliminary proposal for externship research project;
• English language speaking and writing skills (the courses will be conducted in English;
all application materials must be submitted in English).

Financial Support
Participants will receive financial support for local travel, accommodation and subsistence costs
during the duration of the course. Those participating in externship projects will also be awarded
stipends of up to $2500 each.

The cost of travel to the University of Dar es Salaam from participants’ city of origin must
however be covered by the participants themselves or their home institutions.

Application Deadline
All application materials must be received at IRA, University of Dar es Salaam no later than
12th March 2010 (16.00 Hrs East Africa Time) Applications received after the deadline and
incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Prospective applicants are encouraged to forward
their applications as early as possible.

Application Guidelines
Please follow the guidelines below to apply:

1. Read eligibility requirements and decide if they apply to you. If you have questions, please
contact the Pan-African START Secretariat (PASS) or IRA at: [email protected] and
[email protected] respectively.

2. Download the electronic Application Documents from the PASS, IRA or START websites

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 (http://pass-africa.org, www.ira.udsm.ac.tz/ and www.start.org). If you have problems
downloading, copies can be requested from PASS or IRA via email ([email protected]
or [email protected]). Application Documents include the following:
• Application Form
• Professional Reference Form
• Institutional Support Form

3. Complete the electronic Application Form. Please fill in ALL the information requested.

4. Arrange for your TWO references to each complete and submit the Professional
Reference Form.

5. Arrange for the Institutional Support Form to be filled out and signed by an appropriate
representative of the Applicant's home institution. The purpose of this form is to let the
Program organizers know that the institution is aware of the applicant’s intention to
participate in the Program and that the institution supports this application. The form can
be signed by the home institution’s Director, Department Head, or the Applicant’s direct
supervisor.

6. Prepare a Statement of Current Activities and Future Plans. The statement should
provide a brief summary (no more than 2 pages; 12 point font size) of your current
academic, research or professional activities and future career plans that are most relevant
to your qualifications for the Education and Training Program. The statement must
highlight your perception of the benefits of the Program in advancing your career goals.

7. Conservation researchers, practitioners and graduate students must prepare a

Preliminary Proposal for the externship research project (no more than 1 page; 12
point font size). The proposal must describe a climate risk assessment activity that you
would conduct in association with an existing conservation related program in the
Albertine Rift region. Please specify clearly your objectives for this activity and state the
expected outcomes in terms of their relevance to understanding climate risks to
biodiversity in the region and adapting conservation to such risks. You must also include
details about the nature of your proposed activity, the conservation program you would
like to work with and its location, and the value added by your activity to the conservation
program.

8. University educators must submit a brief statement of teaching plans, which must
include current teaching responsibilities relevant to biodiversity conservation/natural
resource management and how participation in the education and training program would
help them to incorporate climate change related information in their courses (no more than
1 page; 12 point font size).

9. Obtain and submit a copy of your Official University Transcript for the highest degree
completed, listing courses taken and grades for each course. Transcripts in a language
other than English must be translated into English.

10. Submit a copy of your current Resume/Curriculum Vitae (no more than 2 - 3 pages; 12
point font size) that summarizes information about your education, employment history,
and other activities that are most relevant to your qualifications for the Education and
Training Program.

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 Contact information for PASS / IRA:

Education and Training Program in Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation

Pan-African START Secretariat
Institute of Resource Assessment
University of Dar es Salaam
P. O. Box 35097
Dar es Salaam
Tel: +255 22 2410144
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants must submit all application materials to IRA electronically. All
forms can be electronically completed and submitted as email attachments. Electronic submission
of the Professional Reference Forms must be done by the References themselves.

IMPORTANT: We recommend that you retain a copy of all the application material for your
records. Please note that for your application to be considered, all application materials must be
received by IRA no later than 12th March 2010 (16 hrs East Africa time). An
acknowledgement will be sent to the applicant upon receipt of the application forms.
Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decisions by the mid May 2010.

For questions regarding the course or the application process please contact either the Pan-
African START Secretariat (PASS) or Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) at:
[email protected] or [email protected]