Reforestation Research Consultant (deadline September 18)

Mongabay is seeking a research consultant to identify and document reforestation initiatives (3-mo contract)

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tree-planting was garnering a lot of attention as a climate change mitigation strategy with billionaires from Elon Musk to Marc Benioff touting the benefits of massive reforestation and a plethora of tree-planting initiatives popping up across social media, YouTube, and the Internet. But the quality of these initiatives is highly variable and transparency around many projects is lacking. As such, Mongabay is developing a database of reforestation projects to support a series of reported news stories on the subject. We’re seeking a research assistant to help build out a project database over a three-month period. The research assistant would work with Mongabay’s team to build a database on reforestation projects around the world. The research assistant would need to gather data for a range of criteria on each project, including, but not limited to a project’s name, institutional affiliations/financial backers, location, project area, approach, and public disclosures. This data would be entered into a web form for each project.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Work with a team of editors and reporters to understand the criteria for the selection and classification of reforestation project;
  • Identify reforestation projects through research and follow up outreach via email and calls;
  • Collect and enter data in a structured and consistent format;
  • Check in regularly with the Mongabay team via email to report on progress toward meeting research objectives.

EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

The research assistant should demonstrate the following qualifications and experience:

  • Basic knowledge of reforestation, forestry, forest conservation, and/or land use
  • Ability to work independently and produce high-quality work with tight deadlines
  • Excellent research skills, the ability to discern the quality and credibility of data presented on the Internet
  • Experience in data entry
  • Extremely self-directed and motivated
  • Effective organizational skills and systems
  • Responsive to the Mongabay team via email
  • Flexible availability in schedule to collaborate and meet deadlines
  • Access to the Internet is required
  • Fluency in written and spoken English.

TIMELINE, COMPENSATION, AND LOCATION

This is a part-time consultancy (between 10 and 20 hours per week) with a duration of up to 3 months. Mongabay aims to offer competitive pay rates and requests applicants to include a desired hourly pay rate for this position when applying. There is no required location for this position as all activities will take place online. Please note that this consultant will collaborate with Mongabay staff located in the United States and should be flexible in availability.

TO APPLY

The application deadline of Friday September 18th at 3pm Pacific Standard Time has passed.