A Peace Corps Response Volunteer with advanced Spanish is needed to serve as an Agroforestry Specialist in Peru. Peace Corps Response is partnering with PROGRESO, a non-governmental, non-profit organization which seeks to promote sustainable human development through the development of productive social and economic capabilities, the implementation of environmentally friendly practices, and the generation of economic opportunities aimed at improving access to markets and ensuring adequate food for rural families in the highlands of northern Peru. PROGRESO faces a challenge in their efforts however, due to deforestation, which is leading to soil degradation and the loss of forests and native species. The main cause for the level of deforestation in the region is the local population, seeking to expand agricultural land for the cultivation of cash crops, cutting down trees to obtain firewood and timber for consumption. In response to this crisis, PROGRESO, in coordination with eight district municipalities and three agricultural cooperatives, created the ECOSIA Project, a macro-regional reforestation project aimed at increasing the forest mass, planting communal forests for local use, and planting forests on mountain ranges for the protection of watersheds and water sowing. For this project, PROGRESO and its technical team need assistance in order to manage and perform analyses of species in priority areas of conservation, as well as assistance in a variety of other technical activities.

As an Agroforestry Specialist, the Response Volunteer will have several responsibilities, one of which will be to train staff in the required techniques needed to carry out the systematization of information about native forest species such as: ecology of species, nursery management, pre-germination treatments and planting. The Response Volunteer will also design a training manual on how to use a GPS and about geographic information system programs (such as ArcGIS or QGIS) to train technical staff. Finally, the Response Volunteer will co-facilitate, along with the technical team of the ECOSIA Project, training sessions on environmental management and climate change in target communities. The goal of the assignment is for the Response Volunteers to provide their skills and experience to teach the PROGRESO staff new ways of systematizing and collecting information specific to the conservation topic and provide input on species conservation in the macro-region for decision-making.

Please note that this position is one of several that will depart for service in Peru at the same time. It is unlikely that the departure date will change and applicants will be notified if the date does change. Please only apply if you are available on the date listed and if you can serve for the entire duration of the project.

ONG PROGRESO – Association for the Promotion of Rural Economic and Social Management

• Specialist in biology, forestry and/or conservation.
• 2 to 3 years’ experience in the identification of forest species, taxonomy and/or biological inventories, field work.
• 2 to 3 years’ experience working in agroforestry education and awareness programs for vulnerable population in rural areas on proposals for local conservation areas, Areas of High Conservation Value (HCV).
• Knowledge and management of GIS programs (ArcGIS, QGis)
• Advanced Spanish

• Peru may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions: insulin-dependent diabetes; requiring a psychiatrist for psychotropic medications support; ongoing counseling.
• The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: none identified.
• Volunteers who should avoid the following food(s) may not be able to serve: none identified.
• After arrival in Peru, Peace Corps provides and applicants are required to have an annual flu shot, to take daily or weekly medication to prevent malaria, and to receive mandatory immunizations.