World Wildlife Fund is seeking a Policy Director to promote conservation in the Amazon Basin through infrastructure and protected area strategies. The Director will develop and implement regional policies to positively influence investments and work from Washington, D.C. or Brasilia. Qualified candidates require a graduate degree, field experience, language skills, and alignment with WWF's core values of results, integrity, and respect.
There are important reasons why I was interested in searching for a career within the WWF that would work for the protection of the Amazon. The Amazon spans the borders of eight countries; it is the world's largest river basin and the source of one-fifth of the Earth's freshwater; it has the world's highest diversity of birds and freshwater fish; it is the planet's largest rainforest and it provides a home for more than one third of all species in the world. The Amazon forest has some 2,500 tree species (one third of the world's tropical woods) and nearly 30,000 of Latin America's 100,000 plant species. The Amazon River -- the second longest river in the world after the Nile -- stretches 4,000 miles across South America to the Atlantic Ocean, where it discharges approximately 46,000 gallons per second, or 20 percent of the combined discharge of all rivers on Earth. The entire Amazon basin contains the largest number of freshwater fish species in the world, estimated at more than 3,000 species. The largest river turtle in South America is also found here, as is the highly endangered black caiman.
In Brazil illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture and other human impacts are consuming the forest at the rate of over 9,000 square miles per year. According to government statistics, the average annual deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon during the 1990s was about 7,000 square miles per year. There is a 40% increase in the current deforestation rate. It is also estimated that the Amazon forest will have lost 25 percent of its original area by 2020. Soybean farming and cattle ranching are among the most common causes of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Major road projects are providing conducts for poorly planned development and increased deforestation in newly opened areas of the Amazon. Other forms of destruction that have brought serious consequences to the region include floods caused by the construction of river dams for hydro-electrical power as well as mining that contributes to soil erosion and water contamination with toxic chemicals, such as mercury. Oil and gas exploration and the construction of pipelines also pose potentially serious threats to the region.
WWF's focus is on two conservation priorities: the Southwestern Amazon ecoregion, a last refuge for highly endangered species like jaguars, harpy eagles and giant river otters; and ARPA one of the world's most ambitious conservation projects that will result in more than 190,000 square miles of Amazonian rainforest -- an area larger than the state of California -- under protection by 2010. An environmental policy director would focus on these tasks. By lobbying and making decisions about policies aimed to conserve the areas under protection. The ARPA vision creates a system of well-managed parks and other protected areas encompassing some 193,000 square miles. The network of parks and reserves is to be based on rigorous scientific planning and careful public consultation. The total cost is of $370 million over a 10-year time frame, and project activity spread out over an area larger than Western Europe. ARPA's design and operation require a new conservation approach and the financial and organizational tools and controls to back it up. The environmental policy director would work to create grant proposals, research and guide the decision making processes involved with what is to be done in the Amazon.
Graduate degree in environmental policy, natural resource management, international development or related field. At least 10 years of field experience working on conservation and sustainable development in the Amazon Basin preferred. English, Spanish and Portuguese language skills required.
Results: They are committed to achieving conservation results. Integrity: Honesty, responsibility and accountability within WWF and with others. Respect: As a global, multicultural organization they value and expressly recognize the unique skills and perspectives of their employees, supporters, partners and the communities in which they work. WWF is an Equal Opportunity Employer and women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
In order to be an environmental policy director you have to have at least a graduate degree in a related area as well as extensive field or research experience. However, there are some companies who higher environmental college graduates but not for projects as big as the WWF’s Amazon. Bard offers a good graduate program to attain this education either with a Master of Science degree in environmental policy or a professional certificate in environmental policy. The EPA, NGO’s, nonprofit organizations and the private sector employ people in this field. The government also needs environmental policy directors to deal, for example, with issues of trade. An environmental policy director is an important asset to them because they know how to create important environmental policy over knowing how to implement it. Environmental policy directors are leaders who can translate scientific knowledge about environmental and natural resource problems into creative, feasible policy responses and identify opportunities to develop effective policy interventions for sustainable development. They also analyze various dimensions of environmental policy making from its scientific bases to the economic, legal, political, cultural, and ethical forces that influence the decision-making process. They apply ecological science to decisions affecting society, politics, the economy and cultural and ethical forces. As far as salary goes it can range anywhere from $25,000 to $85,000. It really all depends on the employer and your value in terms of level of education and experience. The job market for this type of career is extensive and there are a lot of opportunities. I found a lot of job opportunities in the ECO website for this type of field as well as in websites of private companies and NGO’s. For example, one private company was searching for an environmental policy director to work with project designs and management for planning, policy, and outreach projects, policy analysis and advice, preparation of grant proposals, strategic planning, facilitation of inter- and intra-organization committees and report writing.