ST HELENA GOVERNMENT
TERMS OF REFERENCE
TERRESTRIAL CONSERVATION ADVISOR AND TRAINER
1.
Background
1.1
The island of St Helena, an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom (UK) is of
volcanic origin and covers 47 square miles in the South Atlantic Ocean. St Helena is over
4,000 miles from the UK, 700 miles southeast of Ascension Island, and 1,700 miles from
South Africa. The Island’s total population is around 4,000 persons, about 25% of whom live
in the capital, Jamestown. The climate is kept mild and equable by the southeast trade
winds and temperatures range from 14-32 degrees centigrade in the summer and 14-26
degrees centigrade in winter. The economy is small and is mainly based on offshore
employment, agriculture, fishing and more recently a small but growing volume of tourism.
Most commodities are imported and St Helena relies heavily on UK Aid to support essential
services and livelihoods.
1.2
St Helena currently has no airfield and therefore the only regular mode of access to
the Island is via the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena, which calls roughly 25 times a year,
shuttling between St Helena, Ascension, and Cape Town. On 22 July 2010 the Secretary of
State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, announced the UK Government’s
intention to finance a project to build an airport on St Helena subject to four conditions being
met. On 3 November 2011 it was announced that the Secretary of State’s conditions had
been met, and a contract had been entered into with Basil Read (Pty) Ltd in the amount of
£201.5 million for the design and construction of the airport, an additional up to £10 million in
shared risk contingency, and £35.1 million for ten years of operation. The airport will greatly
improve travel to and from the Island, open up opportunities for sustainable economic
regeneration and ultimate financial self-sufficiency for St Helena.
1.3
The Governor is the most senior official in the St Helena Government (SHG) and he
is supported by the three next ranking officials ie the Chief Secretary, the Financial Secretary
and the Attorney General. Strategic decisions are in the main taken by the Executive
Council which is chaired by the Governor and comprises 5 elected Members of the
Legislative Council and the 3 senior SHG officials as ex officio members. The Public Service
comprises a number of directorates each headed by a Director reporting either to the Chief
Secretary, Financial Secretary or directly to the Governor. Most of the directorates are also
required to work with one or more of the 8 Council Committees that comprise elected
Members of the Legislative Council. The Directorates are required to provide advice to, and
take policy direction from, the relevant Committees.
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2.
Brief background
2.1
It is recognised that with air access there will be a greater demand for our
environmental resources and increased pressure to develop the island. St Helena’s
environment is highly unique and very fragile, it is also our greatest asset. To ensure that
we do not lose this St Helena needs to develop sound environmental management.
2.2
St. Helena’s new Sustainable Development plan 2012/13 – 2014/151 has identified
effective management of the environment as one of three National Goals.
2.3
A new Environmental Management Directorate (EMD) has been created to take
forward this work. A key component of which will be the creation of an environmental
management plan for St. Helena.
2.4
EMD is a newly formed directorate and is composed of 3 divisions, one focussing
on Nature Conservation, another on Environmental Assessment and Advocacy
and a third on Environmental Risk.
2.5 The overall remit of the Nature Conservation Division is to sustainably manage
St. Helena’s natural resources and to minimise the impacts of, and risks to the
natural environment through the formulation, implementation and monitoring of
appropriate policy, based on a sound evidence-base.
2.6
The Nature Conservation Division, created in November 2011 brings together
the existing nature conservation responsibilities from across St. Helena Government,
spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments and address new areas
that are not dealt with cohesively/comprehensively by SHG.
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Key issues
3.1. The newly formed Nature Conservation Division is under significant external and internal
pressure to deliver priority works, including
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The generation of 23 National Conservation Area Management Plans
Input into airport mitigation project e.g. LEMP –Landscape and Ecology Mitigation
Programme Provide input into wider development mitigation and environmental
monitoring projects
Restructuring of the Terrestrial Section to ensure conservation works are delivered
with for the best use of funds, have clear direction and have the capacity for
delivering future works in light of a changing landscape
Proviso of training to build local capacity and allow teams to deliver current and
future works ( which will involve a broader remit)
http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/data/files/resources/760/SDP-Final-Draft.pdf
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3.2. Scientific capacity and terrestrial expertise is extremely limited
Currently the Nature Conservation Division consists of 17 local staff. These staff
have some, but not all of the skills required to deliver the remit of the Division and
hence the delivery of higher level works falls to one person, the Manager of the
Nature Conservation Division who is already working at full capacity Currently all
terrestrial staff require training in basic scientific skills in additional to broader
technical skills. Most importantly staff have requested this training
3.3.The Terrestrial Section has recently undergone staff turnover
Recently the this section has undergone significant staff turnover, and currently
one key post remains there are new members of staff who are yet untrained.
Furthermore further staff turnover can be expected in the light of new competitive
employment opportunities. To ensure institutional memory it is essential that key
basic skills e.g. species protection and habitat restoration techniques and
propagation do not remain within one/ two individuals but are dispersed
throughout the team
4The terrestrial section comprises of two teams, the Habitats and Species team
(effectively a plant nursery). Both teams require restructuring and fit for purpose
work programmes constructed to align with future work demands and as a result will
need to acquire a broader set of skills
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Objectives
4.1
The Nature Conservation Advisor/Trainer will be responsible for giving advice to the
Nature Conservation Division Manager, the Director of the Environmental Management
Directorate, other Divisions within EMD and other sections of SHG on relevant subject
areas.
4.2
A significant proportion of the role will be technical training of the Terrestrial
Conservation Division Staff. Additional training for other government staff will also be
considered.
4.3 The Nature Conservation Advisor/trainer will also be responsible for the creation and
implementation of National Conservation Area Management Plans and 3-5 year work
programmes for both the habitats and nurseries team
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Main Tasks
5.1
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National Conservation Areas
Formulate a set of principles for St Helena ‘s National Conservation Areas (NCA’s)
Create a conservation management framework for each of the four types of NCA.
Create and implement mechanisms for participatory planning, monitoring and
management of NCA i.e. community based
management approach including
undertaking social surveys to investigate the appetite for ‘adopt a NCA’ management
approach
Create management plans and cost the implementation of these plans for 5 priority
National Conservation Areas.
Showcase Diana’s Peak National Park as a working demonstration of how the protection
of endemic species and important habitats can be sustainably managed alongside
tourism efforts. Particularly focusing on; access, restoration, business opportunities,
interpretation/links with tourism including. guided walks, reviewing existing plans.
Provide additional scientific evidence i.e. plants, habitats, invertebrates and geology to
support management plans
Obtain evidence to predict impact of spread of invasives and distribution and
survivorship of endemics and develop proactive mitigation and control measures
5.2:
Training
Create and implement a programme for training the Terrestrial conservation team to include
the following components:
 Set up workshops to identify key terrestrial conservation priorities across St. Helena
–to involve St. Helena National Trust to ensure efficient use of resources and to
obtain an agreed path forward.
 To provide a comprehensive training package regarding habitat restoration for a
team of six, to include; plant identification, types of soil; relationships between St
Helena soil types and where key endemic plants, wide range of basic survey
techniques and plant pest and disease identification and control
 Develop a 3-5 year programme for habitats team (habitat restoration)
 Provide specialist training in the commercial production of plants
 To restructure nurseries programme to ensuring it is fit for purpose , with attention
too forthcoming work demands i.e. plant production and the implementation of
recovery programmes for endangered species
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Outputs and deliverables
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A policy framework for SHG for terrestrial conservation. Although this will be primarily
delivered through the National Conservation Areas Framework and management
plans, it should also incorporate overarching principles for habitats and species that
lie outside of these areas.
NCA management plans and implementation costings for at least six of these plans
A data collection, analysis and management system, which identifies which data is
required to inform decisions, which staff have been trained to use, and are
comfortable and competent with. The scale of the system needs to be such that it is
deliverable by the staff that exists within the division and does not require additional
human/financial resources.
A monitoring, evaluation and regulation system which staff have been trained to use
and are comfortable and competent with. The scale of the system needs to be such
that it is deliverable by the staff that exist within the division and does not require
additional human/financial resources.
Trained Terrestrial Conservation Officer – ideally measured by international
certification
Trained Habitats and Species Conservation Team – ideally measured by
international certification.
A sustainable long term training programme for continued training and development
of Nature Conservation Division staff
3-5 year work programmes for both teams
Promotion for the teams activities
Recommendations on overarching issues and information / resource gaps
Promotion of both teams successes to date to provide motivation and increase
awareness of works
Scientific evidence of the importance of key NCA’s
Recommendations for a scientific monitoring programme that is practical for the
teams to implement
A final report providing an overview of the above outputs
Qualifications, Experience and skills required
Essential:
 Experience in habitat restoration and plant propagation techniques
 Experience in terrestrial habitat and species survey techniques
 Postgraduate degree in Terrestrial Conservation or related subject area
 A least 10 years broad experience in Conservation management and training
 Proven track record training staff – ideally with the ability to internationally certify/prepare
for international certification.
Desirable:
 Experience of invertebrate or bird population surveys
 Experience of mentoring staff over a long period of time
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Person Specification:
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Experience of cross-sector working (i.e outside of the environment sector)
Experience of feeding subject focus areas into national sustainable and economic
development plans and policies.
At least 4 years’ experience of working on or with small islands.
Highly organised with the ability to multi-task and prioritise a heavy workload
Excellent communicator, able to work with people at all levels and abilities
Highly motivated with the ability to motivate and mentor others
Good analytical and problem solving skills
A qualified trainer.
Proven track record of successful policy development
Flexible to meet the varied demands of the role
Physically fit and comfortable working outdoors in challenging and remote environments
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Reporting
9.1
The Terrestrial Conservation Advisor and Trainer will report directly to the Manager
of the Nature Conservation Division of the Environmental Management Directorate.
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Contractual arrangements
10.1 The Environmental Risk Management Advisor will be an employee of the St Helena
Government (SHG) and hold a contract with them for a period of two years.
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