2015 Graduate Internships

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1 WWF-SA 2015 Graduate Internships The World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) is a leading environmental organisation with a vision to inspire people to live in harmony with nature for the benefit of our country and the wellbeing of all. WWF-SA invests in the development of future leaders for the environment, through the placement of graduate interns with WWF-SA environmental programmes and partner organisations associated with our work. Graduates participate in meaningful work for the environment, gain valuable experience and network into key communities of practice as they make the transition from learning to work. If you are a post graduate in the natural and/ or social sciences with a keen interest in working for the environment, looking for an opportunity for induction and willing to contribute to the strategic work of WWF-SA and its partners from 1 April 2015 to 30 September 2016, we invite you to apply for the 2015 Graduate Internship Programme.

2 To apply, you would IDEALLY have: Completed a Master s degree in the natural and/ or social sciences, including supporting disciplines such as law, finance, education, training and development, marketing and communications. Note that Master s in process and Honours graduates are considered only in the case of exceptional academic achievement. First degree graduates need not apply. A demonstrated and clearly articulated commitment to the environment. A record of exceptional academic and professional achievement. A commitment to career development in the environment sector. Exceptional leadership potential. South African citizenship. To support the growth of inclusivity and diversity in the environment sector, Black South African post graduates are strongly encouraged to apply. 28 Nov 2014 TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION: Review the list of placement opportunities below, noting that WWF-SA cannot guarantee placement in any specific work area but will endeavour to place interns in an opportunity relative to their academic background and career interest. Download and complete the application form by visiting the WWF website, indicating and motivating for your preferred placement by listing at most three opportunities in order of preference. Attach the following documentation to support your application: Certified copy of your ID; Certified copy of academic transcripts; and 4 An abridged CV (no more than 3 pages). Submit your completed application to Simonne Stellenboom (Graduate Programme Coordinator, WWF-SA) at sstellenboom@wwf.org.za by 16h00, Friday, 28 November No late applications will be accepted. Communication will be entered into with shortlisted candidates only. Should you have had no response from our offices by 16 January 2015, please consider your application unsuccessful. Thank you for your interest in our Graduate Internship Programme The Graduate Internship Programme is made possible through a donation from the WWF Nedbank GreenTrust.

3 2015 GRADUATE INTERNSHIP Placement opportunities: 1. Alternative Information and Development Centre: Climate Change 2. BirdLife SA: Bird Conservation and Renewable Energy 3. BirdLife SA: Seabird Conservation 4. Centre for Environmental Rights: Environmental Law 5. Grootbos Foundation: Conservation Management (Gansbaai) 6. Isidima Design and Development: Environmental Engineering 7. Iziko South African Museum: Entomology 8. Nature s Valley Trust: Fynbos and Estuarine Research (Nature s Valley) 9. Nedbank Group: Social and Environmental Management (Johannesburg) 10. South African National Parks: Marine Research 11. The Spar Group: Supplier and Product Sustainability (Durban) 12. Sustainable Energy Africa: Sustainable Energy Development 13. The Green House: Climate Change Mitigation 14. WESSA: Environmental Conservation 15. WESSA: Environmental Education 16. Skills Research 17. Community-based Conservation Management 18. Low-carbon and Climate Resilient Economy 19. Sustainable Finance Research Support (Johannesburg) 20. Sustainable Fisheries Fish Stock Assessments Click on any of the above hyperlinked opportunities to find out more about the specific graduate internship placement.

4 1 Alternative Information and Development Centre: Climate Change The Million Climate Jobs Campaign is a popular campaign to address climate change, create decent work and move South Africa to a low-carbon economy. Climate change is remote and distant in time and space from the day-to-day reality of most South Africans. The campaign links the development and implementation of climate change solutions to the creation of jobs, particularly amongst marginalised communities of South Africa. The campaign involves some 95 civil society organisations, in both urban and rural areas, representing the broadest range of organisations. The intern placed with AIDC will be involved with supporting learning network activities of the campaign, managing information and communications related to the campaign and support the campaign through specific action research initiatives. 2 BirdLife South Africa: Bird Conservation and Renewable Energy BirdLife South Africa, affiliated to BirdLife International, works with government, avifaunal specialists, environmental consultants and industry to help minimise the impacts of renewable energy on birds as well as maximise the benefits thereof for the environment. Increasing production of energy from renewable resources is a crucial response to climate change in South Africa. BirdLife South Africa therefore supports the development of a renewable energy industry. More specifically it aims to ensure that the development of wind and solar energy facilities have minimum impact on species, habitats and ecosystems; improve understanding of the impacts of renewable energy on birds and habitats and how these impacts can be minimised through monitoring and research. They also facilitate the exchange of relevant information to support the sustainable development of renewable energy and empower developers, decision-makers, specialists and other stakeholders to take decisions that promote a truly sustainable renewable energy industry by offering guidance, training and support. An intern placed with BirdLife South Africa in the Renewable Energy and Birds Programme will support the implementation of renewable energy best practice that protects species and habitats, monitor wind and solar energy projects, develop guidelines for priority species potentially affected by renewable energy facilities and support the maintenance and rehabilitation of birds and biodiversity areas, while similarly engaging with other projects of the organisation. 3 BirdLife South Africa: Seabird Conservation BirdLife South Africa, affiliated to BirdLife International is one of the world s largest and most effective conservation networks. The eabird Conservation Programmehas two main focus areas, an international programme called the Albatross Task Force and a programme that focuses on South Africa s coastal seabirds, in particular the African penguin. The African penguin project focuses on the lack of food for these species through identifying important foraging areas during vulnerable life stages, advocating for changed fisheries management practices, and establishing a new mainland penguin colony in an area of good food availability. The key focus area for an intern with this project will be to support the identification of important foraging areas through tracking the movements of penguins, which includes involvement in satellite tracking and data collection on board commercial fishing vessels, as well as involvement with public awareness, communication and administrative tasks of the organisation.

5 4 Centre for Environmental Rights: Environmental Law The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is the first non-profit organisation in South Africa focused solely on the advancement of environmental rights as guaranteed in the South African Constitution, and is committed to taking an innovative, rights-based approach to environmental public interest litigation and environmental governance. Its mission is to advance the realisation of environmental rights by providing support and legal representation to civil society organisations and communities and by engaging in legal research, advocacy and litigation to achieve change. The organisation s key programmes include mining, water, pollution and climate change, environmental rights and transparency. An intern placed with the CER will be involved in formulating and providing legal advice and representation to clients, litigation, research and the management of information resources and advocacy. 5 Grootbos Foundation: Conservation Management (Gansbaai) The Grootbos Foundation, based on the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve between Stanford and Gansbaai, runs a variety of programmes which focus on creating sustainable, nature-based livelihoods through horticulture and food security programmes which are run in the Walker Bay area. The foundation is also responsible for the conservation management of the Grootbos Reserve which includes alien clearing, land management and updating the Grootbos management plan. The intern will be involved in vegetation studies, fynbos conservation and general conservation management. 6 Isidima Design and Development: Environmental Engineering Isidima Design and Development is an environmental engineering consultancy with a particular focus on sanitation, ecological water and wastewater treatment. Current projects include those with the Water Research Commission (WRC), the Sustainability Institute and Biomimicry SA. Working together with these partners Isidima Design and Development is able to apply biomimicry thinking and an ecological approach to develop innovative solutions to change the landscape of sanitation and wastewater provision in South Africa, particularly within poor and under-serviced communities. An intern in this context will assist with monitoring and effective operation of various ecological wastewater treatment systems, monitor the performance of the new water filters and micro flush toilets, investigate the performance of on-site sanitation systems; and assist in the production of sanitation guidelines and with the design of new ecological water/ wastewater treatment system. 7 Iziko South African Museum: Entomology The Iziko South African Museum houses more than one and a half million specimens of scientific importance. The collections now range from fossils almost 700 million years old to insects and fish caught last week. There are also stone tools made by people years ago, traditional clothes from the last century, and t-shirts printed yesterday. The South African Museum was founded in In 1897 it moved to its present building in the historic Company s Garden. Since then millions of visitors have wandered its halls and corridors to be stimulated and inspired by its collections and exhibitions. They have left the museum with a better understanding of the earth and its biological and cultural diversity, past and present. The intern placed with the museum will focus on entomology collections in the Natural History Department where they will acquire curatorial, research and educational skills associated with scientific museum collections.

6 8 Nature s Valley Trust: Fynbos and Estuarine Research (Nature s Valley) The Nature s Valley Trust (NVT) initiates, facilitates and implements various conservation programmes that include research, environmental education and community outreach. These programmes are designed to contribute to the conservation of the area to complement the activities of conservation authorities, specifically in environmental education and conservation as well as actively contributing to the establishment of a conservation research centre. The research component of the NVT runs several programmes in the Garden Route National Park, Nature s Valley and Plettenberg Bay areas. They are designed to facilitate SANParks, CapeNature and Bitou Municipality management of these key biodiversity areas by conducting both short-term and long-term ecological research in key biomes. Working within the research component, the intern will be centrally involved with two research programmes, namely the Tsitsikamma Fynbos Research Programme and the Tsitsikamma Rivers and Estuary Research Programme, and will participate in others too. Under the supervision of the programme director, this will entail supervising field work teams, overseeing data collection, curation and analysis, reporting and scientific paper writing. 9 Nedbank: Social and Environmental Management (Johannesburg) The Nedbank Group is one of South Africa s four largest banking groups. The bank s green journey began more than 20 years ago, when Nedbank partnered with WWF South Africa to found the WWF Nedbank Green Trust. Since then, the WWF Nedbank Green Trust has supported hundreds of sustainability projects, many of which focus on helping people to live self-sufficiently while protecting the environment. The intern will be involved in environmental policy development, the implementation of Nedbank s social and environmental management system, compliance assessment and monitoring and risk identification and mitigation. 10 South African National Parks: Marine Research South African National Parks (SANParks) Marine Research Unit, based at the Cape Research Centre in Tokai, focuses on research into the ecology, conservation and management of marine organisms and environment. The intern placed with the Marine Research Unit will be involved with the assessment of fish species, ecology and biodiversity in marine protected areas. The work more specifically involves research planning and development, data collection, capturing and management, data analysis, scientific writing and reporting. The intern will similarly be involved in developing and presenting findings in different forums.

7 11 The Spar Group: Supplier and Product Sustainability (Durban) The Spar Group acts as a wholesaler and distributor of goods and services to its affiliated retail outlets, such as the Spar supermarkets. The company actively drives and manages its brands and provides a full range of support services to independent retailers. The Group recently undertook a comprehensive strategy review, fully embedding sustainability into this strategy. A number of substantial sustainabilityrelated commitments have subsequently been undertaken, all of which are supported by robust strategies and action plans. The central sustainability team within Spar is responsible for providing the rest of the Group with guidance and support in terms of implementing these strategies and action plans, as well as for playing a co-ordination role across the business. The intern placed with the Spar Group will work with the sustainability team to actively drive the roll-out of the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) across the Spar Group and establish a framework to engage with suppliers around key sustainability issues as they relate to the products procured. 12 Sustainable Energy Africa: Sustainable Energy Development Sustainable Energy Africa is a non-profit organisation that promotes just and sustainable urban societies founded on the efficient use of energy and other natural resources. The organisation does this through building capacity and supporting policy development, as well as planning and implementating energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate response related initiatives in and around South Africa. Sustainable Energy Africa s overarching strategy focuses on promoting sustainable living, through building holistic, low-carbon and resilient cities. For the last 15 years, Sustainable Energy Africa has worked to support primarily local government but also provincial and national government in developing sustainable energy plans for cities. The intern will be involved in all of the work of Sustainable Energy Africa, in promoting energy efficiency and sustainable energy production and use towards building lowcarbon and resilient cities. 13 The Green House: Climate Change Mitigation The Green House provides consulting services to the private, public and NGO sectors, focusing on strategy, technology and capacity for sustainability. The majority of projects have a significant focus on climate change mitigation, either within a corporate context for example a reduction in carbon footprinting or through research in support of policy-making. Notwithstanding this, it also undertakes work in several other areas including lifecycle assessment, waste management and environmental strategy. The Green House works across a number of sectors and industries, and the intern can expect to gain exposure in agriculture, textiles, food, transport, mining, heavy industry, energy supply, chemicals, bioenergy, manufacturing, retail and urban systems. More specifically, the intern will be involved with sourcing and critically reviewing relevant publications to support the work of The Green House, as well as data sourcing, collection and management, stakeholder engagement and contributing to reports, articles and publications.

8 14 WESSA: Biodiversity Conservation The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) is an environmental organisation that aims to initiate and support high impact environmental and conservation projects to promote public participation in caring for the Earth. For almost 90 years WESSA has proactively engaged with the challenges and opportunities presented by South Africa s unique natural heritage and the social and economic systems that depend on it. WESSA believes that working towards meaningful and sustainable capacity building solutions, in partnership with government, business and civil society is the most effective and inclusive way of bringing about the social change required to transition to a sustainable society. The intern placed with the biodiversity conservation project will be involved with implementation of conservation projects, including capacity development and stakeholder engagement and advocacy and policy engagements in relation to development applications. 15 WESSA: Environmental Education The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa s Mobilising Human Capacity for Sustainability Programme is part of a coherent strategy to address the skills shortage for the environment and encourage greater grassroots public involvement in environmental matters. Involving government departments and other organisations, the programme mobilises knowledge, capacity and support for sustainability by providing education, resources and networking opportunities. It aims to build the capacity of individuals and institutions in the sector to take ownership of projects, and play a leading role in forging a sustainable future. It also aims to encourage participation from ordinary citizens, and empower them, either as individuals or through civil society formations to become voluntary agents of change in the collective journey towards sustainability. The intern placed with this programme will support the facilitation and delivery of environmental education and training courses, workshops and presentations; assist the development and implementation of environmental and capacity development projects; and support the development of partnerships with a range of stakeholders in the environment. 16 Skills Research WW-SA s Environmental Leaders Programme supports the development of new and current leaders for the environment. The scope of the programme includes graduate skills development and in-service skills development. In its work WWF-SA collaborates with a number of environment and environmentally related organisations and skills development agencies to achieve its objectives of contributing to skills development for the environment. Primarily focused on skills research across the programmes of work, some of the more specific focus areas of this placement include support in skills analysis research informing skills development, monitoring and evaluation as well as other research areas emerging from the work and development of the Environmental Leaders Programme.

9 17 Community-based Conservation Management WWF-SA s Land Programme aims to establish new, and expand existing, protected areas. To date it has facilitated the purchase of more than 400,000 ha of critically important conservation land and contributed to 32 protected areas in South Africa. This was achieved through land purchase, land swaps and land donations. Other innovations used to secure land for conservation include the new tax incentives and land management arrangements. Most of the land acquired by WWF-SA is managed by its conservation partners, such as CapeNature and South African National Parks. Then intern placed with WWF-SA s Land Programme will contribute to refining and implementing the social development project, co-ordination and management of all land reform processes, piloting innovative and alternative land management models and the management of existing alternative land management arrangements. 18 Low-carbon and Climate Resilient Economy WWF-SA s Living Planet Unit focuses on mitigating the causes, and adapting to the impacts, of climate change. A key programme of work is to support South Africa s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. In supporting mitigation of the causes of climate change, the unit works in the energy and transport sectors,focusing on policy inputs, economic analyses, stakeholder engagement, supporting change processes and advocacy supported by the implementation of pilot projects. An intern placed with WWF-SA s Living Planet Unit will be involved with desktop research and literature reviews, advocacy and logistical support to the energy and transport work of the unit. 19 Sustainable Finance Research Support (Johannesburg) WWF-SA s Sustainable Finance Programme engages financial institutions, intermediaries and regulators to take responsibility for the impact of financing decisions on the environment as well as working to redirect financial flows to support the organisation s biodiversity and footprint goals. These objectives are advanced through a suite of strategies, including advocacy to influence policy and industry practices, research, responsible investment and bilateral partnerships with financial institutions. The intern will be involved with monitoring, analysing and synthesising developments, press clippings and reports related to sustainable finance industry and policy developments, as well as supporting the development of advocacy material and generally assist project activities. 20 Sustainable Fisheries Fish Stock Assessments WWF-SA s Sustainable Fisheries Programme aims to encourage an ecosystem approach to fisheries in South Africa through market-based incentives for responsible fishing practices by stimulating market demand for sustainable seafood. The intern will be involved in conducting seafood sustainability research informing the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) assessments and assist in maintaining the relevant databases.