Carnivore Conservation Officer Wildlife Conservation Society

Position: Carnivore Conservation Officer, Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP)
Location: Kampala Uganda
Duty Station: Ishasha Sector, QENP
Reports to: Carnivore Conservation Coordinator
Liaises with: Country Director
Start Date: June 2024
Position Type: Full-time
Organization Background
The WCS Uganda carnivore program is to promote effective conservation of carnivores and their
ecosystems by developing and leading science based, community-driven, field conservation and UWA capacity building program. WCS developed the lion recovery plan for Ishasha sector, QENP that focuses on three priority pillars. 1) strong and effective operational law enforcement, 2) HWC mitigation, 3) research and monitoring, and 4) community conservation education.

Program Overview
The WCS goal in the QENP landscape is to halt the current decline of lions and foster their recovery by developing and leading science based, community driven and field conservation and UWA capacity Building programs in the landscape. The long-term impact of this effort will be to double the current lion population, restoring it to pre-2010 levels whereas the WCS Uganda carnivore program goal is to promote effective conservation of carnivores and their ecosystems by developing and leading science-based, community-driven, field conservation and UWA capacity building programs in Murchison – Semliki, and Greater Virunga Landscapes

Role profile
The Carnivore Conservation Officer will help the Carnivore Conservation Coordinator in the continued development of a WCS Uganda Carnivore Conservation Program that has, at its core, a site-based carnivore conservation challenges strategy, which promotes linkages across development interests and priorities through collaboration with UWA, conservation organizations working the landscapes, private sector companies, and other development partners supporting the wildlife conservation in Uganda.

Law enforcement support to UWA
• Deploy overnight patrols in collaboration with the UWA technical and senior staff in hotspot areas as informed by SMART and other monitoring tools.
• Conduct De-snaring patrols with UWA rangers in hot spot areas to minimize lion loss.
Strengthen existing community conservation initiatives and partnerships in QENP in order to address the threats to carnivore conservation;
• Make sure that SMART is adaptively managed so that rangers and managers get feedback on a monthly basis
Ensure that OWADAT is improved and well managed in the Southern Sector of QENP
Ensure that data is entered in the wildlife crime offenders, and SMART databases as well as ensure that other established systems and tools are being used properly to reduce poaching of wildlife;
• Ensure the safety of rangers on car during Deployments and withdrawals from patrols.
Research and monitoring
• Conduct monitoring of satellite collared lions and provide timely information to UWA to respond and avert lion-human conflicts;
• Conduct monitoring of Un collared individuals within or outside the pride to know their health status
Participate in lion and elephant rescue within, outside and Around QENP
• Actively participate in Lion collaring and report any irregularities with the collars
• Identify and map out Invasive species hotspots for future interventions
Monitor wildlife movements and using SMART data and advise WCS for proper interventions.
• Participate in other interventions like wildlife Surveys from time to time as need arises
• Participate in trainings of UWA rangers and community wildlife scouts in the application of conservation technologies namely SMART, Kobo Toolbox (KoBo), Open Data Kit (ODK) among others.
Attend staff trainings in conservation tools such as Miradi, SMART Connect, Global Information System (GIS) and utilize them in research and monitoring.
Community engagements
• Support the community engagement staff during the design of the Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) mitigation measures in the project area
• Participate in lion rescues from the community
• Support the community engagement staff in building good relationships with UWA, frontline communities, district local government staff in the project area

Essential Job Responsibilities:
• Supporting the Uganda Wildlife Authority in conducting efficient, safe and effective anti-poaching patrols.
• Provide ongoing training and assistance in the adaptive management and monitoring of patrols using platforms like Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) and Online Wildlife
• Offenders Database (OWODAT) as well as other relevant platforms which will be identified by WCS from time to time.
• Participate in de-snaring activities in key lion areas in QENP
• Apply satellite-telemetry data and other monitoring tools to identify the most important areas that lions range in, and secure them by a targeted patrolling effort that cleans them of snares.
• Participate in conducting research, monitor lion and elephant populations and threats to generate useful information that can be used by Uganda Wildlife Authority to improve carnivore conservation and management of the park;
• Participate in lion rescues in QENP to generate information needed for the design of interventions to help recover the lion and prey populations
• Participate in conflicts mitigation measures inside and around QENP to build community support for carnivore conservation.
Other responsibilities
• Ensure appropriate and effective tracking and use of food procured for patrols
• Write technical reports in a timely manner.
• Participate in writing grant proposals to fund carnivore conservation program;
• Represent WCS in an ethical and professional manner;
• Manage WCS equipment and accommodation facilities within and outside the project area and report any damage, loss or malfunction of such equipment to your immediate supervisor.
Targets
• Establish the snare hot zones and support UWA to conduct a snare removal in Ishasha sector
• Write monthly reports on lion movements in both Ishasha and part of the northern sector
• Ensure that UWA’s rangers use SMART for conducting patrols and maintains an updateSMART database contribute to donor report writing
• Provide on-site technical backstopping to UWA staff in Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area
• The Online Wildlife Offenders database is well maintained and data is entered regularly
• Participate in grant proposal writing

Deliverables for the role.
• Monitoring status to increase our understanding of the population, movements, and status of lion prides in the Ishasha sector.
• Write monthly technical reports in a timely manner and submit them to the Lion Conservation Coordinator.
• Report on effectiveness of a standardized grid system protocol for de-snaring to your immediate supervisor.

Academic Qualifications:
• A bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology, Wildlife ecology or Environmental Science. A postgraduate qualification is an added advantage.

Experience:
• Minimum 05 years’ working experience inside a protected areas in the Albertine region
• Experience in working for a Conservation NGOs;
• Experience working with communities living adjacent to a protected area
• Recognized knowledge of wildlife conservation, particularly working with carnivores.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to develop and maintain good relations with a wide range of stakeholders including UWA, local communities, Conservation NGOs, District Local Government;
• Good negotiation and conflict management skills;
• Demonstrated experience in conducting research and monitoring,
• Ability to collect, organize and analyze data;
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing;
• Ability to work with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to work under pressure and in a remote area
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office and appropriate software such as database software like
• Access, Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Social data software and GIS experience will be an added advantage;
• Knowledge of the native or local languages (Runyakitara dialects) is required.