This project will investigate the extent to which the introduction of an historical perspective affects perceptions of past human impact, projections of future change, the goals, targets and options considered, and ultimately the recommendations for conservation and management of marine natural resources.
This will be done through the lens of marine mammals, a particularly interesting group given their strong and long relationship with humans, from millennia-old cave-art, to the near-obliteration of some species through commercial exploitation, to the emotional attachment felt even by many who have never been in direct contact with these species. Furthermore, some of these species have important roles in shaping ecosystems, and despite their charisma many remain very poorly known.

This project will quantify the impact of historical human activities on the patterns of diversity and abundance in marine mammals

• Review and synthesise information on the historical and current distribution of all marine mammal species, both from existing datasets and by compiling scattered data from the ecological, archaeological, zooarchaeological, and historical literatures.
• Participate in the development of statistical models for predicting the current and historical global distribution of marine mammal speciesures.
• Quantify and map the impact of historical global change on patterns of diversity of marine mammal species, using Geographic Information Systems.
• Participate in the development of a multidisciplinary reflection of the goals, targets and options for the conservation and management of marine mammals within a human-dominated planet.
• Contribute to the dissemination of the results of this project to a wide and diverse audience comprising scientists, stakeholders and the wide public.

• A solid academic background in ecology.
• A rigorous and detail-oriented approach to work with an aptitude for exploring and analysing historical datasets.
• Strong analytical skills, including knowledge or capacity to learn GIS and programming skills (for example in R) for the manipulation and analyses of large spatial datasets.
• Good interpersonal skills needed for working as part of a large team, and for coordinating multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional meetings involving scientists and stakeholders
• Good command of the English language.

Please send a detailed CV, course grades from most recent academic work, letter of motivation, and name and contacts (email and phone number) of two or more researchers capable of assessing your competence for this position via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Suzanne Garrett
DCMC Coordinator
IUCN
1630 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009