WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY (WCS) CAMBODIA PROGRAM
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Agricultural/Livestock Economist Consultant (1 Post)
The Wildlife Conservation Society, founded in 1895, has the clear mission to save wildlife and wild places across the globe. WCS's goal is to conserve the world's largest wild places in 16 priority regions, home to more than 50% of the world's biodiversity. We currently manage about 500 conservation projects in more than 60 countries.
WCS has been working in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia since 1999, providing technical advice and support for the conservation of key habitats and species across the country.
The Wildlife Conservation Society has received financing from the UK Government through their Biodiversity Challenge Funds and intends to use part of the funds thereof for payments under the following project under the Darwin Initiative: Risk reduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Cambodia’s wetlands.
Cambodia hosts some of the most important global priority regions for biodiversity conservation and supports some of the most threatened waterbird species in the world. Its forests and wetlands provide a natural barrier against the emergence of future zoonotic pandemics. However, current deforestation rates, livestock encroachment, and wildlife trade trends make Cambodia and the region a global hot-spot most vulnerable to pathogen spillover. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, Cambodia experienced multiple mass mortalities of wild waterbirds due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in areas with substantial domestic duck farming. At the same time, duck farmers experience mass losses among their flocks, presumably due to outbreaks of HPAI and/or other diseases. We aim to create a scalable model for Cambodia’s wetlands via a network of informed and skilled communities taking collective action to reduce the risk of disease spillover at the poultry-waterbird interface while protecting both wild bird colonies and farmer livelihoods.
The site of interest is Boueng Sne (also known as Boueng Pring), Prey Veng Province which hosts multiple waterbird colonies as well as several surrounding domestic duck farms and is a site with recurring HPAI outbreaks.
The purpose of this analysis is to comprehensively understand the domestic duck farming system(s) and assess for long-term financial gains by implementing new farming practices to provide incentive for farmers to change current farming methods. By improving farm biosecurity and adjusting other practices we aim to mitigate the risk of pathogen spillover between domestic duck flocks and wild bird colonies.
The WCS Cambodia program is growing rapidly! We are expanding our team and are looking for applications from qualified candidates to fill the following consultancy position. Detailed job description of the position is attached.
- Agricultural/Livestock Economist Consultant (1 Post) Click Here for Full Job Description
- Duty Station: Phnom Penh, Cambodia with travel to Boueng Sne, Prey Veng province
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES:
The consultant must conform to the following qualifications:
- Education: Minimum of master level in field relevant to agriculture/livestock economics.
- Professional experience: At least 5 years of experience in agriculture/livestock economics in developing countries, preferably in low-resource settings with primarily small- to medium-holder farms.
- Experience in the region is a plus.
- Knowledge of animal health and disease is preferred.
- English proficiency required.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and cooperative attitude.
- Good ability to meet and multi-task deadlines.
- Dedication to conservation and sustainable development.
Interested candidates who meet the above qualifications should apply by emailing:
- an application letter and CV (by combining into single PDF file) that address the criteria outlined in the qualifications and experience section, links/examples that demonstrate your skills.
- proposed methodology and/or workplan to complete the assessments and report.
- your expected rate for the above listed deliverables.
to: cambodiahr@wcs.org, closing date for application is 03rd September 2023. Please include the Position Title “Application for Consultancy for duck farming profiles and economic assessment of farming practices around Boueng Sne wetland” in the subject line of your email. Only short-listed candidates will be notified.
About WCS contact address:
House No. 21 Street 21, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh
Phone: 023 217 205