The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is dedicated to the conservation of Africa's wildlife and wildlands. The Faro Landscape, a region with exceptional biodiversity, faces significant threats from poaching and illegal wildlife trade. To strengthen its anti-poaching efforts and ensure the protection of this critical ecosystem, AWF is seeking a dedicated and experienced Senior Project Officer, Wildlife Law Enforcement to join our team in Faro. The Faro Landscape is part of the CaSeVe project, a program implemented by AWF, Noe and CG and funded by the European Union. The project aims to preserve the exceptional biodiversity of the Faro landscape and its ecosystem services. It also supports local communities by providing tools and resources to strengthen livelihoods using pro-biodiversity approaches and promotes a peaceful management framework for human development and biodiversity protection.
Position Summary
The Senior Project Officer, Wildlife Law Enforcement will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating anti-poaching activities within the Faro landscape. The Senior Project Officer will work closely with the Conservator of the Faro National Park to plan and implement strategic anti-poaching programs, ensuring effective patrols, deployment, operations, and coordination. The role also involves setting up an intelligence gathering unit, planning joint patrols with ZIC (Zones of Interest for Conservation) operators, conducting anti-poaching training, following wildlife judicial cases, utilizing the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) program, and producing regular anti-poaching reports.
Key Responsibilities
1. Patrol Planning and Deployment:
- Support the coordination of patrol planning in collaboration with the Project Director and Conservator of Faro National Park.
- Assist in the deployment of patrol teams across the Faro Landscape, ensuring high-risk areas are prioritized.
- Utilize the SMART program to support the coordination and monitoring of patrol activities, adjusting strategies as needed.
- Assist in scheduling routine and random patrols to optimize coverage and law enforcement presence.
- Support the coordination of equipping patrol teams and overseeing the maintenance of vehicles and gear.
- Work with local communities to gather intelligence in support of patrol operations.
- Assist in the development of contingency plans for emergency patrol responses.
- Conduct debriefing sessions post-patrol to gather insights and improve performance.
2. Operations Coordination:
- Support the coordination of daily anti-poaching operations in collaboration with the Project Director.
- Work with ZIC operators and law enforcement agencies to support the coordination of joint patrols and operations.
- Assist in managing the logistics and supply chain for patrol teams, ensuring continuous support.
- Facilitate effective communication between field teams to maintain operational coordination.
- Contribute to the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for anti-poaching and law enforcement activities.
- Support the coordination of air surveillance units and cross-border law enforcement for comprehensive monitoring.
- Assist in resolving operational conflicts and ensuring the security of sensitive information.
3. Strategic Anti-Poaching Program Development:
- Support the coordination of anti-poaching strategy development and implementation alongside the Project Director.
- Work with the conservation service to establish and coordinate intelligence-gathering units for anti-poaching efforts.
- Assist in integrating technologies like drones and camera traps into anti-poaching programs to enhance their effectiveness.
- Support the coordination of partnerships with research institutions and NGOs, such as PAC and Dabanga.
- Assist in securing funding and resources for anti-poaching programs.
- Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of anti-poaching programs, identifying risks and mitigating them.
4. Training and Capacity Building:
- Support the coordination of anti-poaching training for patrol teams and local law enforcement partners.
- Collaborate with the Project Director to enhance staff capacity through workshops on wildlife laws and enforcement.
- Assist in the development of training materials tailored to the needs of the Faro Landscape.
- Support professional development opportunities for team members, focusing on safety and effective use of technology.
- Assist in recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance within the patrol teams.
5. Wildlife Judicial and Prosecutorial Assistance:
- Support the coordination of tracking wildlife judicial cases and liaise with legal authorities to ensure successful prosecutions.
- Assist in the collection and preservation of evidence in wildlife crime cases.
- Advocate for stronger penalties for wildlife crimes and support public awareness campaigns.
- Maintain and update a database of wildlife crime cases for analysis and reporting..
6. Reporting and Documentation:
- Support the coordination of producing regular reports on anti-poaching activities, patrol data, and incident summaries.
- Assist in ensuring accurate documentation of all anti-poaching operations.
- Collaborate with the Project Director to develop standardized reporting formats and ensure timely submissions to donors and relevant authorities.
7. Stakeholder Engagement:
- Support the coordination of relationships with key stakeholders, including local communities, government agencies, and conservation partners.
- Collaborate with community leaders to enhance local support for conservation and anti-poaching efforts.
- Assist in organizing stakeholder meetings and workshops to discuss strategies and enhance collaboration.
- Support the coordination of distributing informational materials to stakeholders and promoting joint efforts among partners.
8. Other Responsibilities:
- Proactively share any information related to the above responsibilities with supervisor.
- Carry out any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
Rights-based Conservation
Human rights are a guiding principle in the AWF Strategic Vision 2020-2030, embedded in our core principles and core values. AWF’s mission is to ensure that wildlife and wildlands thrive in modern Africa. AWF understands a modern Africa to be an Africa in which human rights are fulfilled and commits to respect, protect, and always promote human rights, irrespective of ethnic group, gender, race, sexual orientation, age, or class by adopting a rights-based conservation approach. The role holder will come in to contact with a wide range of stakeholders and will be required to demonstrate commitment to and a good understanding of AWF’s Rights Based Conservation approaches, values, and principles.
Requirements and skills
- A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management, Law, Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice, or a related field.
- At least 5 years of experience in law enforcement, anti-poaching operations, prosecution, or a related field.
- Proven experience in planning and coordinating field operations.
- Strong understanding of wildlife laws and judicial processes in Cameroon.
- Proficiency in using SMART or similar monitoring and reporting tools.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work in remote and challenging environments.
- Strong leadership and team management skills.
- Computer literacy.
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
- Commitment to wildlife conservation and the mission of the African Wildlife Foundation.
- Proficiency in French.
- Knowledge of English and/or other local languages is an added advantage.
CLOSING DATE: October 14, 2024
