Sustainable Land Management Specialist (4 positions)

Organizational Setting

The REDESER Project is financed by GEF and implemented by FAO in the semi-arid region of Brazil (Caatinga biome). The project was developed to halt and reverse the process of desertification through actions to address increasingly strong causes of land degradation and biodiversity loss in Caatinga ecosystems located in Areas Susceptible to Desertification, which cover 1.34 million Km (16% of Brazil) and are home to 34.8 million people (17%). 

The central objective of the REDESER Project is to halt and reverse environmental degradation in areas susceptible to desertification (ASD), ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services, promoting the integrated management of natural resources, generating environmental benefits, and contributing to poverty reduction. Additionally, it aims to expand and improve the supply of goods and services derived from sustainable land management and the restoration of dry forest landscapes and agroforestry production systems.

The REDESER project will achieve its impacts through the development of activities related to five components, as follows: 1) Promoting integrated Natural Resource Management in ASD Production Landscapes, 2) Promoting multiple use forest management through adoption and expansion of multiple-use sustainable forest management, 3) Forest and Landscape Restoration – so as to contribute to community -based economies, maintain and restore biodiversity, 4) Knowledge Management, Capacity Development and Awareness Raising – aimed at communities and institutions involved in environmental licensing processes, 5) Coordination with other initiatives, monitoring and evaluation.

The implementation strategy of REDESER emphasizes the development of strategic actions with potential for sustainability and replication, particularly those aimed at strengthening local capacities and enhancing good practices for the prevention, reversal, and combat of desertification and land degradation processes. Ultimately, it seeks to contribute to improving the socio-environmental quality of affected communities.

In addition, it aims to contribute to the expansion and improvement of the supply of goods and services derived from the sustainable management and restoration of dry forest landscapes and agroforestry production systems.
Its actions are focused on the semi-arid region, with activities being carried out in five Priority Areas located in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, and Rio Grande do Norte, covering the following localities:

Territories    Municipalities
Xingó - Alagoas     Delmiro Gouveia, Olho d'Água do Casado, Piranhas
Araripe - Ceará     Crato, Barbalha and Jardim
Sertão do São Francisco     Uauá
Seridó - Paraíba    Santa Luzia, São Mamede and Várzea
Seridó - Rio Grande do Norte    Carnaúba Dantas, Equador, Parelhas and Santana do Seridó
Total     14    municipalities

The project also includes two components focused on strengthening knowledge management processes, technical training, social awareness, and interinstitutional coordination to promote the fight against desertification and land degradation in Areas Susceptible to Desertification (ASD):
•    Under Component 4, the project supports the consolidation of an online database network based on the WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) platform, aimed at the continuous exchange of information, technical knowledge, territorial experiences, and sustainable land management practices.

The purpose of this call is to hire four Specialist in Documenting Experiences for the WOCAT Platform. 
The specialists will be responsible for the following groups of states:
•    Specialist 1 – the states of Ceará, Piauí, and Maranhão;
•     Specialist 2 – Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, and Pernambuco;
•     Specialist 3 – Alagoas, Sergipe, and Bahia;
•     Specialist 4 – Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent reports to the Assistant Representative in FAO Brazil – Programme.

Technical Focus

Under the supervision of the Assistant Representative of FAO Brazil, and with the technical guidance of the Environmental Technical Area Coordination and the PPG Project Coordinator (FAO Brazil), the incumbents will be responsible for carrying out the necessary activities to systematize and generate knowledge on good practices in sustainable land management and combating desertification.

Tasks and Responsibilities

•    Identify, organize, and review successful practical experiences in combating desertification and land degradation, for subsequent inclusion in the international WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) platform.
•    Conduct a survey of relevant territorial experiences by mapping successful practices developed in REDESER Priority Areas and other semi-arid territories relevant to combating desertification and land degradation, covering all 11 states of the Brazilian Semi-Arid region.
•    Carry out structured interviews, based on the official WOCAT questionnaire translated into Portuguese, with local technicians, public policy managers, representatives of civil society organizations, and other actors directly involved in sustainable land management practices and the fight against desertification.
•    Enter the documented experiences directly into the WOCAT platform.
•    Systematize relevant scientific knowledge on practices for combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought, with a focus on experiences developed in Areas Susceptible to Desertification (ASD), providing evidence to support the improvement of the National Policy to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Effects of Drought (PNCD).
•    Elaborate a technical Report with Systematized Experiences on the WOCAT Platform – A document presenting the systematization of 10 territorial experiences related to sustainable land management, natural resource management, and combatting desertification in the REDESER Priority Areas and other semi-arid territories. The report must include complete technical sheets in accordance with WOCAT methodology parameters, based on interviews with local technicians, public managers, and civil society organizations. It must also demonstrate that the experiences have been uploaded to the WOCAT platform, with proper validation and categorization.

FAO Standards and guidelines:

•    Liaison with OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes.
•    All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en   
FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia   
Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044en 
FAOSTYLE: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081en 
FAO terminology: http://www.fao.org/faoterm 
FAO Names of Countries: https://www.fao.org/nocs/en    
Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff). 
•    Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING: 

Minimum Requirements  

•    Master’s degree in Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Agronomy, Geography, Environmental Management, Forestry Engineering, or other fields related to natural resource management and public policy.
•    Minimum of three (3) years of experience in knowledge systematization and/or the implementation of projects related to sustainable land management, combating desertification, natural resource management, or related environmental themes in semi-arid contexts.
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English and Portuguese.
•    National of Brazil or resident in the country with work permit.

 FAO Core Competencies 

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Experience in projects/activities related to Knowledge Management.
•    Proven knowledge and ability to operate the WOCAT platform.
•    Participation in at least two projects developed in the Brazilian Semi-Arid region, with an emphasis on themes related to combating desertification, drought, and living with the semi-arid conditions;
•    Experience in the preparation of technical documents and data analysis, including the production of scientific reports, publications, and technical papers in the fields of Knowledge Management on topics such as natural resource management, resilient production systems, restoration of degraded areas, combatting desertification, and living in the semi-arid region.

Selection Criteria

•    Experience in projects addressing themes such as natural resource management (like soil and water management), resilient production systems, restoration of degraded areas, combatting desertification, adaptation to semi-arid environments.