A Forest Management Specialist fluent in Spanish and experienced in agroforestry practices and monitoring and evaluating forest restoration is needed to train farmers in wood handling techniques. The Despertar Campesino Cooperative, a local farmer association, was managing an agreement for the exploitation of Caribbean pine for almost 8 years with the Ministry of the Environment where the objective was to do forest management of the wood plantation and that this was used for the manufacturing of furniture and sale of clean wood. One of the weaknesses of the Cooperative was that it didn’t have the necessary tools to make the most of it. The interest of the Cooperative is to implement techniques, harvesting tools and a better plan for the sustainable use of the plantation with the support of the Peace Corps Response Volunteer (PCRV). Through the technical support of the Volunteer, members of the cooperatives and managers can be better trained to manage the forestry project that would benefit the cooperative and its associates, as well as the community in general.

The Forest Management Specialist will train and advise Cooperative staff and partners in charge of the project in techniques and strategies to take advantage of trees in the best way, and thus obtain better income for the organization to continue and expand the social projects of the organization and local communities. The goal of this assignment is for the PCRV to train partners, including designing an operational manual, and creating a record for wood extraction and processing.

Despertar Campesino Cooperative

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) from a college or university in Forestry or Forestry Engineering or 2 years working in a forest company / association
• Advanced / fluent in spoken and written Spanish
• 2 years of experience carrying out and training of farmers and monitoring and evaluation of forest restoration and agroforestry practices
• 2 years of experience in environmental development training, activities and materials
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Organizational skills and the ability to work alone and with little supervision
• Physical ability to work outdoors in the rain, humidity and extreme heat

• Panama may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions: 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 Panama, 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.