Conservation International

Restoration Potential Mapping

The Bekenstein intern, sittng within Restoration team at Conservation International, will work with representatives of CI’s field programs (especially the Americas and Africa divisions) and key global experts in restoration. The aim of the internship will be to support regional conservation strategies to go to scale, specifically through quantifying the potential climate, nature (biodiversity) and community benefits of specific landscapes (estimate, 20) targeted for restoration. Landscapes will have been pre-selected through a strategic process based on local knowledge of policy environments and political momentum, and for each the work will help build the business case for investment into these landscapes.

The intern will work with CI’s new ‘Restoration Potential Mapping’ interactive data set to dive more deeply into the data that informed the selection process, so that each landscape and country programs can expand its appeal to partners, investors or donors to deliver restoration.

The work will sit within the Center for Natural Climate solutions, so both the carbon sequestration and potential future removals of the landscapes will be a key part of this quantification, as well the potential for protecting or expanding biodiversity. The intern can expect to work with the Corporate team, too, in line with CI’s insettng work to help companies mitigate carbon emissions within their supply chains.

In line with CI’s ethos of ‘People for Nature, Nature for People’ local community and indigenous peoples engagement is foundational. The intern can therefore expect also to work with CI’s Centre for Global Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to ensure that CI remains focused on delivering our pledge to deliver more than half of restoration benefits to the communities who live in these landscapes.

Qualifications

• Experience and interest in spatial data analysis, including ArcGIS, QGIS, and Python 
• Experience with restoration mapping, project management and
  evaluation/quantification of benefits 
• Ability to effectively work in a team across the full diversity of CI’s global organization 
• Experience convening a broad range of individuals and organizing events in multiple contexts 
• Demonstrated track record of working effectively with muticultural, multidisciplinary teams to produce concrete results 
• Experience in project management, coalition-building and field work in restoration 
• Strong capacity to navigate diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges and opportuni􀀁es 
• Strong writing, communication and interpersonal skills 
• Knowledge of languages such as French, Spanish, Bahasa a plus

Timeline

• Week 1: Gain a thorough knowledge of CI’s new ‘Restoration Potential Mapping’ interactive data set and its origin layers, background data. Review pre-selected landscapes and confirm their selection for the project.  
• Weeks 2-5: Dive more deeply into the data that informed the selection process, and expand upon this collection of data to enhance the restoration potential mapping. Quantify the potential climate, nature (biodiversity) and community benefits of specific landscapes (estimate, 20) targeted for restoration.
• Weeks 6-12: Based on the quantification of benefits, support regional conservation strategies to go to scale taking this data into account in strategic planning decisions.
• Weeks 6-12: Partner with key landscapes and country programs (TBD with supervisor at the start of the internship) to assist them inc expanding their appeal to partners, investors or donors to deliver restoration. Working collaboratively with CI staff, build the business case for investment into these landscapes
• Week 12: Present on internship work and turn in final deliverables, including quantification of benefits from enhancing the restoration potential mapping, enhanced regional strategies based on mapping and quantification, and country/landscape level business cases and strategies developed with selected landscapes.

Background

Since 1987, Conservation International has worked to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity. Combining fieldwork with innovations in science, policy and finance, we’ve helped protect more than 6 million square kilometers (2.3 million square miles) of land and sea across more than 70 countries.  Conservation International’s approach to conservation puts human well-being on equal footing with environmental goals. We respect human rights, ensure our programs are designed with gender equality in mind and create opportunities for local communities to earn a living while also helping nature. 

Our work is focused on four pillars: 

• Innovations in Science - Conservation International is behind some of the most extraordinary, cutting-edge conservation science taking place today. Our research is cited more than leading universities. 
• Innovations in Finance - From our launch of the world’s first debt-for-conservation swap in 1987, Conservation International is changing the equation to make nature more valuable alive than destroyed.
• Partnering with Communities - Respecting the rights of Indigenous people and local communities was one of our founding principles, and it guides our work to this day. 
• Working with Governments - Our science and expertise are helping governments take action to protect nature and the benefits it provides to people.

More information found here