The EAF-Nansen project is starting a mentoring programme that will support young and mid-dlelevel fisheries scientists and managers to work with experienced scientists and managers to develop their skills and to work on real case studies.

The beneficiary will be able to work with a mentor for up to three months. Where necessary the beneficiary could spend the three months away from his/her home country or institution and attached to the institution of the mentor.

Download the full announcement

WWF Tanzania Country Office is calling for proposals on a targeted whale shark study on Mafia Island, Tanzania. The study aims to assess which physical, biological and/ or other environmental factors are most important in determining or deterring the occurrence and visibility of whale sharks in shallow waters west of Mafia Island, and to identify any existing or forthcoming threats likely to disturb those factors. It is expected the study will be conducted between June 2012 and June 2013.

The deadline for receiving proposals at WWF Tanzania Country Office is Thursday 5th April 2012

 If there are any queries, please try to direct them to Jason Rubens (jrubens@wwftz.org) and Josephine Meela (jmeela@wwftz.org).

Download the full call, which contains the Terms of Reference and Guidance for applicants

In a wide-ranging, in-depth exploration of the rarely known but centuries-old African presence in the Indian Ocean world, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of The New York Public Library, is presenting the major exhibition Soulful Stitching: Patchwork Quilts of Africans (Siddis) in India; public forums led by internationally known scholars; films illustrating the African Diaspora’s reach into India; and a concert performance of live Bhangra music. In addition, The Schomburg’s new website, The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World, is scheduled to launch next month.

Read the full article from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/4/prweb8320834.htm

Prof E. Wolanski, one of the Editors of the Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, recently conducted an evaluation of the Special Issues of the Journal produced up to 2008, to amongst others determine their citation rates. The average citation rate for all special issues was found to be 7.20 (+_ 3.69, n=14). In 2005, a special issue, Volume 63, Issue 3, titled “Science for management in the western Indian Ocean” and edited by D.O. Obura, M.  Schleyer, and N.A. Muthiga, was published. This Issue consisted of selected papers that were presented in the Third WIOMSA Scientific Symposium that was held in Maputo, Mozambique in October 2003.

According to the Prof Wolanski’s evaluation, this Issue has an average of citations of 8.364, which is well above the average of the all special issues produced by ESCC up to 2008! This clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the WIOMSA Scientific Symposiums and productions of Special Issues in attracting and publishing high quality papers.

International Climate Protection Fellowships for prospective leaders from threshold and developing countries

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s fellowship programme promotes prospective leaders from threshold and developing countries who are engaged in climate protection and resource conservation in academia or business, government or non-governmental organisations. Up to twenty fellows are funded annually. They will come to Germany for a year to work alongside a host of their own choosing on a joint project dedicated to the exchange of knowledge, methods and techniques. The aim is to create a network in which German and foreign experts will work together on a sustainable, international basis to combat climate change and its global consequences. The fellowships are funded under the Federal Environment Ministry’s (BMU) International Climate Protection Initiative.

Requirements

• first academic degree ( Bachelor’s or equivalent) completed no more than 12 years prior to start of fellowship
• further (academic or professional) qualification or extensive, theme-related professional experience
• confirmation of support and statement of a host in Germany
• independent project proposal agreed with host in the field of climate protection and resource conservation
• leadership potential

Fellowship specifications

• monthly fellowship amount between 2,150 -2,750 EUR
• group programme events: several-week introductory seminar, training courses, final meeting
• one to two month intensive German course
• family allowances, lump sum for travel expenses

The closing date for applications is 15 December 2010.

The fellowship commences 1 September 2011.

Visit www.humboldt-foundation.de/ICF for application package and further information.

Wageningen University and Research Centre is pleased to announce course on Climate change adaptation in agriculture and natural resources management which will be held in East Africa from 28 February – 11 March 2011.

The course is designed for mid-career professionals who are engaged at higher levels and deal with policy making either from the research side (as advisor), government side, or from civil society who aim to have a full understanding of climate change adaptation concepts, be able to effectively and meaningfully contribute to the debate on climate change adaption, either in the policy process and/or in providing knowledge to the policy process. 

For more information about the course programme and online application for this course we refer to our website: http://www.cdi.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda/agenda/Climate_change_adaptation_in_agriculture_and_natural_resources_management.htm

For this course  Netherlands government (NFP) fellowships are available.

Applications should be submitted to Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation before 1 September 2010. On the website you will find the details for this.

COST Action IS0802 on the Transformation of Global Environmental Governance now welcomes applications for the 2010 PhD Training School on “Global Environmental Governance: The Multidisciplinary Approach”, to be held at Mykolas Romeris University (Vilnius, Lithuania), from 27 to 30 September 2010.

This event is aimed at PhD students in the social sciences working on issues related to the thematic focus of the training school. It will address the general theme of global environmental governance and in particular its methodological challenges. Students will study novel ways of integrating insights from different disciplines, ranging from International Relations to environmental law and policy, and guided by internationally leading researchers. This program will help students deepen their understanding of the causes of global change in an integrated manner, and at the same time to develop options for the governance of a transition to more sustainable development paths at the national and global levels. The training school will address these methodological challenges with reference to a number of core problem areas, such as climate change, biodiversity, water management and global forestry.

To apply, please send your CV with a short motivation letter to: iekapaciau@stud.mruni.eu.

The deadline for applications is 1 August 2010. Please note that travel and accommodation will be covered for participants from countries that are members to this COST Action (see a list of participating countries at http://transformation-geg.org/team/management-committee).

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Ieva Kapaciauskaite: iekapaciaup@stud.mruni.eu.

Please also visit the website of the training school for further details: https://www.mruni.eu/en/tp/is0802/PhD%20Training%20School%20!!!/

A recent study evaluating the large ocean temperature anomaly that killed nearly half of the corals in the Indian Ocean found that that their death was not uniform but varied from none to 90% and depended on the historical year-to-year variation in ocean temperatures. The authors suggest that the study will help identify coral reef regions most affected by climate change and that the southern Indian Ocean and the Red Sea have greater potential for persistence then the northern Indian Ocean.  The study co-authored by Mebrahtu Ateweberhan and Tim McClanahan of the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Warwick was published in the June issue of the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin (60: 964-970) and based on all field studies of corals undertaken across the 1998 El Niño in 36 Western Indian Ocean coral reef regions.

Coral reefs living in the areas with the least temperature variability, such as the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and the Seychelles and those with the highest variability in the Arabian and Persian Gulf areas had the highest death rates. Findings suggest that some coral reefs live in areas where their background environment gives them greater resilience to climate shocks. These occur on the large scale of oceans but the authors note that even on the smaller scale, such as on the leeward sides of small to moderate size islands, these same conditions may promote coral persistence.

The authors suggest that models of climate change need to consider not only the changes in average, maximum, and rate of ocean temperature rise but also the year-to-year variability in order to predict the future impacts of climate change. These findings provide some hope and priorities for management action where the prognosis for coral reefs has been dismal.

Priorities for conservation and management plans can be assisted with this information where areas with good conditions can be given the most efforts to reduce other disturbances such as fishing and pollution that can degrade coral reefs.

Full citation: M. Ateweberhan and T.R. McClanahan. 2010. Relationship between historical sea-surface temperature variability and climate change-induced coral mortality in the western Indian Ocean. Marine Pollution Bulletin 60 (2010) 964–970

SOCIETY, ECOSYSTEMS AND CHANGE (SEAChange)

- research in the marine and coastal environment -

The National Research Foundation (NRF), the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) jointly support the activities of the South African Network for Coastal and Oceanic Research (SANCOR). SANCOR promotes, facilitates and co-ordinates excellence in marine and coastal research and education for the benefit of South Africa. In 2006, SANCOR developed the Society, Ecosystems and Change (SEAChange) Research Programme which was implemented for funding in 2007. The vision of the SEAChange Programme is to provide cutting-edge research to generate the necessary knowledge that will support management in achieving a healthy and productive marine and coastal environment for the benefit of all current and future South Africans. This programme is structured into four interdependent themes on Ecosystems and Change, Ecosystems and Society, Ecosystem Functioning and Marine Biotechnology.

The call for 2011 funding in the SEAChange Programme primarily seeks research applications which address one of the five identified priority topics (see below). Applications that deal with research outside of these priority topics but that still fall within the broad framework of the SEAChange Programme will also be accepted. However, funding for these applications will be considered on a competitive basis after strategic prioritisation has been implemented for applications addressing the priority topics.

Priority topics

·        Topic 1:     Broadening knowledge bases for marine and coastal resource governance

·        Topic 2:     Building integrated marine and coastal governance systems

·        Topic 3:     The impact of new marine and coastal policies and legislation on social structures and relations in coastal communities

·        Topic 4:     The development and application of innovative tools for enhanced pollution monitoring and management in the marine and coastal environment

·        Topic 5:     Cost analyses of marine and coastal pollution

A two-tiered assessment process will be followed that includes postal peer-review and panel review. Applications submitted to this programme will be assessed according to a range of criteria.  These criteria include the track record of the applicant, scientific merit of the application, issues of equity and redress, collaborative efforts, and the potential impact of the research.  Funding will be allocated competitively based on the comments and scores derived from this process and strategic prioritisation. The funding duration for the research is up to three years –starting in 2011.

The application system for research project submissions will open on the 30 June 2010. All applications must be submitted via the NRF’s Interim system at http://nrfinterim.nrf.ac.za. Please select the Knowledge Fields Development (KFD) Call under Create New Application. The NRF closing date for applications is 31 August 2010.  All applications must be endorsed by the research office of the principal applicant.  Incomplete and late submissions will not be accepted by the NRF.

Please direct all queries to: Ms Mmamokete Mabuela, Grant Officer, Tel: +27 (0) 12 481-4088, Fax: +27 (0) 86 562 9590, Email: mabuela@nrf.ac.za or Ms Ndileka Qamba-Mtwazi, Liaison Officer, Tel: +27 (0)12 481- 4161, Fax: +27 (0) 86 541 9538, Email: Ndileka@nrf.ac.za

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is pleased to announce “KwaZulu-Natal Conservation in Practice Symposium 2010″ to be held in Pietermaritzburg on 19-21 October 2010.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 July 2010 and for Registration is 31 August 2010.

Information can be downloaded from the website: www.kznwildlife.com

Enquiries: dejager@kznwildlife.com