The Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship is sponsored by Conservation International to create opportunities for leaders and scholars from indigenous and traditional peoples communities and organizations to explore solutions to the impacts of climate change and the threats to ecosystems and biodiversity that are affecting their lands, communities and livelihoods.
The program will focus on supporting the fellow’s research and demonstration of the contribution of traditional knowledge in adapting to climate change and maintaining healthy ecosystems, and how that knowledge can work with science and new technologies to influence policy and action.
This year-long fellowship will be offered to four candidates. Two fellowships will be awarded within the topic of Biodiversity, and two within the topic of Climate Change.
The fellows will design research projects and produce reports about the potential contributions of their communities/organizations to biodiversity conservation plans and policies and strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Each research project must incorporate the contribution of traditional knowledge and practices. To accomplish this research project, each fellow will work directly with her/his own community or local indigenous /traditional organization.
Who can apply?
1. Applicants must be a member of an indigenous/traditional community and/or organization.
2. Fellows must choose between two categories: Biodiversity Conservation or Climate Change. Furthermore, each topic is geographically specific.
a./ For individuals interested in Biodiversity Conservation: Applicants should focus proposals in the following areas: management of community conserved lands/indigenous territories and/or community managed marine areas, traditional knowledge, or development of community protocols for issues of access and benefit sharing. Applicants will be considered from the following countries: Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Samoa, Fiji, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, South Africa, Cambodia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
b./ For Individuals interested in Climate Change, applicants should focus proposals in the following two areas:
Adaptation: Applicants should focus on community efforts to engage in adaptation through ecosystem-based approaches (including the value and needs of ecosystems in decision making) and participatory processes. This could include looking at how to integrate traditional and local knowledge and scientific information to understand climate risk and potential adaptation actions. Applications for the Adaptation Fellowship will be considered from the following countries: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Madagascar, Suriname, Guyana, Colombia, Indonesia, Samoa, and Philippines.
Mitigation: Applications should focus on role of forest in mitigating climate change, traditional knowledge in maintaining forest and/or the contributions of traditional knowledge to reduced emissions for deforestation and forest degradation. Applications will be considered from the following countries: Indonesia, Guyana, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Suriname.
3. There are no age or gender limitations to this fellowship.
4. You must be flexible and able to travel nationally and internationally.
Requirements
In selecting the fellows, the review committee will consider an array of expertise and educational backgrounds of individuals who are working on fellowship categories of biodiversity conservation and climate change and who would benefit greatly from additional exposure, training and resources to grow and become a leader/expert in their identified theme. Committee members will also consider geographic priorities and gender.
The fellows should also have advanced knowledge of the community/organization activities, such as an understanding of the land and territories and natural resources management where traditional knowledge is applied.
The fellow must be committed to sharing their learning with the sponsoring community or organization, involving community members or organization staff in the research work where possible and appropriate. The fellow must also conduct at least 2 meetings with the sponsoring organization or community, one to present the research plan and one to report on the results of the work.
Finally, fellowship candidates are required to obtain a letter of nomination support signed by the president of the community/organization that also articulates the recommender’s interest in contributing to the candidate’s training.
Benefits
A year-long fellowship with a monthly stipend for each fellow to work with her/his sponsoring community/organization.
Two special training/capacity building activities in academia or with a recognized institution for each fellow based on identified needs.
Support for participation in two national and two international meetings that address related issues.
Access to CI’s research and data on mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity conservation and contacts with CI professionals in the headquarters as well as in the field offices in addition to key CI partners.
A meeting at CI headquarters in Arlington, VA to share experiences and present her/his work in the Conservation International Board Meeting or in another CI meeting as appropriate.
Selection Process
The selection committee will interview finalists the weeks of June 14th to June 30thth. The fellowship winners will be announced on July 15th and fellows will begin on or after July 30th, as appropriate.
How to apply?
Deadline for application is June 11th, 2010. Please include the following in the application packet:
CV of the applicant.
A nomination letter from the sponsoring community and/or indigenous organization.
A letter from the applicant explaining her/his interest in the fellowship, chosen theme, proposed program of work/need and how her/his work will contribute to her/his community.
A completed application form, available on the CI website, http://www.conservation.org/indigenousfellows
The nomination letter and the motivational letter should both clearly state “Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship”. In the subject of the e-mail, please clearly indicate which theme you are targeting: “Biodiversity Conservation or Climate Change”.
Please send all materials to indigenousfellow@conservation.org, attached either as a Word document or a pdf file.
Download the application:
Please contact: Adrienne McKeehan, Program Manager, Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program, Conservation International : a.mckeehan@conservation.org
Moreinfo: http://www.conservation.org/indigenousfellows
