Post-Doc position: Conservation biology and spatial ecology in Mediterranean farmlands

A grant offer is open to conduct post-doctoral research for 18 months (with the possibility of an extension) in Spain in the context of the project STEPPE-AHEAD “Steppe-land birds, agriculture practices and economic viability: towards the conservation of threatened species in humanised landscapes“ funded by Fundación General CSIC and Banco Santander. (http://www.steppeahead.com).

The main objective of the project, which is conducted together with groups from CSIC, University of Lleida and Autonomous University of Barcelona, is the conceptual development of new conservation approaches aimed at making the conservation of threatened farmland birds possible in highly humanized agricultural dominated landscapes. This project is based on the development of landscape use scenarios described by agronomic and local knowledge that will be evaluated in terms of their economic viability and their potential to host viable populations of the target threatened bird species. This approach should therefore allow guiding the implementation of specific management actions in a sound agronomic context.

The project aims at dealing with two main challenges in current conservation biology. The first is conceptual and deals with the explicit integration of human activities influencing landscapes in conservation strategies. The second is methodological and tackles the development of new modelling methods allowing the integration of key ecological processes, which determines the species distribution changes, and the comparison of impacts derived from different scenarios of future change.

The post-doc will be based at the Biodiversity and Landscape Ecology and Animal Conservation labs at the CTFC, (http://biodiversitylandscapeecologylab.blogspot.com/) and he/she is expected to coordinate the project and publish research articles in high-ranking journals.

Requirements:

• PhD. in ecology, agronomy, geography or similar.
• Excellent publication record.
• Previous experience in biological conservation topics, preferably regarding ornithology.
• Expertise in dynamic spatial modelling (statistical, landscape and/or process based models).
• Contrasted capacity to lead work and team up with other researchers.
• Knowledge of Spanish/Catalan language appreciated.

Working conditions

• Equivalent to the Juan de la Cierva Programme of the Spanish “Ministerio de ciencia e innovación” (http://web.micinn.es).
• Working place in Solsona (120 km north of Barcelona, Spain), Forest Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC, http://www.ctfc.cat).

Send CV, a copy of relevant papers published, a motivation letter (one page maximum) and the contacts of two reference researchers, via e-mail before January 31^st 2012: to lluis.brotons@ctfc.cat