WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Project Director, Lac Télé Community Reserve Project - Congo Country Program

The Wildlife Conservation Society seeks a full time Project Director for the Lac Télé
Community Reserve (LTCR) Project in the Republic of Congo. The Lac Télé Community
Reserve, the sole RAMSAR site in Congo, covers an area of approximately 4,380 km2 in the
Likouala Region, and is one of only two Central African protected areas that conserve
flooded swamp forest. The Lac Télé - Lac Tumba Forest Landscape (with neighboring DRC)
constitutes a major part of the largest wetland in Africa. The landscape covers 126,000
km2, of which c. 70% is swamp and seasonally inundated forest and grassland, and the
remainder is terra firma forest and savanna.

The LTCR and its periphery is home to over 12,000 western lowland gorilla Gorilla g.
gorilla and chimpanzee Pan troglodytes. The Reserve is also important for elephant,
hippopotamus and buffalo. Prior to the creation of the Reserve in 2001, hippo and buffalo
populations had been decimated by severe overhunting. Only now are they recovering as a
result of recent conservation activities. In addition, Lac Télé hosts over 350 species of
birds and is an important breeding ground for waterbirds. Moreover, there is high
biodiversity in the aquatic environment including three species of crocodile.

Based in the LTCR, the Project Director reports to the ROC Country Director, provides
technical leadership, strategic direction and representation to government, donors and
collaborators. Key site-based activities, with a total budget of approximately $300,000,
include law enforcement, environmental education, awareness raising, research, monitoring
and capacity building. WCS has begun developing participative community management plans
alongside a popular education program. We have worked with communities to identify
traditional territories and traditional community laws. These data will be used to create
community natural resource management plans which will be integrated into the Reserve
management plan.

The Project Director should have a MS or PhD (preferred) in a conservation-related field
and written and spoken fluency in French and English. Candidates must have a minimum of
three years experience in protected area/project management, preferably in Africa.
Strong organizational and proven management skills are essential. Candidates should also
have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, as well as strong
analytical skills. Strong interpersonal skills, an ability to work well with a wide
variety of people in a team setting, and an ability to negotiate with government and
private sector is necessary, as is a sense of humor. Candidates with previous work
experience with local communities in NR management are desirable.

Interested candidates should send cover letter citing where they found the advertisement
and CV with subject "LT Project Director" and/or requests for details to Bryan Curran at:
wcsaafrica@wcs.org <mailto:bcurran@wcs.org&gt; , with copies to Pamela Watim ( <mailto:&gt;
hr@wcs.org <mailto:pWatim@wcs.org&gt; ).

Equal Opportunity Employer
M/F/H/V