Background
“eDNA Expeditions in marine World Heritage sites” is a citizen-science project that will determine (a) the richness of fish species, and potentially other forms of marine vertebrates, across 25 marine sites currently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and (b) how the effects of climate change might be impacting the distribution and migration patterns of these species. The project will focus on vulnerable and endangered species as specified through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, albeit not exclusively, and as reflected in World Heritage sites’ Outstanding Universal Value. The project is a joint initiative across the Science and Cultural Sectors of UNESCO.
The scientific process is a pioneering undertaking that will combine the use of eDNA with existing and local knowledge, including indigenous knowledge, where appropriate. Results will be complemented through existing scientific peer reviewed literature and other published records based on more traditional observing techniques.
The project’s outcomes will raise global awareness on the importance of UNESCO’s marine World Heritage sites for the conservation of the world’s top ocean biodiversity and their critical role as the world’s last refuge for vulnerable and critically endangered marine species. The information on species richness will allow estimating the local marine species community vulnerability to global warming and will provide preliminary insights on the relevance of fixed site boundaries of marine protected areas in a rapidly changing climate.
Contractor Brief
UNESCO-IOC is seeking an individual consultant to collect, review and make available existing marine biodiversity information from the marine world heritage sites taking part in this eDNA project. This should include both species occurrence data from traditional methods as well as possible existing eDNA datasets and reference barcodes. The data will be used to complement the eDNA data resulting from the eDNA expeditions and will be used for assessing biodiversity at the sites and help develop more complete climate change scenarios. Specifically, the consultant will:
- Collect and compile existing species lists and species observation datasets from the approximately 25 marine world heritage sites that
are taking part in the eDNA expeditions project. - Through literature searches and online biodiversity databases which are not or not fully connected to OBIS (e.g. WoRMS, IUCN, regional or institutional databases) compile an overview of known marine biodiversity information at the selected sites
- Collect all available metadata from the datasets and format data to Darwin Core for machine-readable and sustainable sharing with OBIS according to FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible).
- Collaborate with the project coordination team and report on the progress of the project throughout the duration of the consultancy
Specific tasks and expected outputs (Description of work)
Under the supervision of Ward Appeltans and in close collaboration with the OBIS team and the eDNA expeditions project coordination team, the individual consultant will:
- i. Undertake initial data search of existing peer reviewed or other literature and provide overview for each site of main species, in particular fish species
1. Undertake meta-analysis of existing research for each of the sites
2. Communicate frequently on the progress of data collection, available data sources, other possible data collection avenues.
- ii. Collect existing data sources and format to Darwin Core
1. Record all searches to document the completeness of the review process
2. Perform searches on ‘grey data’, i.e. in multiple languages or by directly contacting research groups who have worked at the sites
3. Record all datasets to the eDNA expeditions data mobilization repository https://github.com/iobis/mwhs-data-mobilization
4. Review and format datasets with all available metadata. This will include complete information on the data reference, location, time and sampling information in Darwin Core.
- iii. Summarize acquired information
1. At the end of the contract provide an overview of the collected information and an estimate of the completeness and main data gaps for each site.
Qualifications and demonstrable experience
- A scientific background in marine or biological sciences
- Excellent and demonstrable experience in research and marine biology
- Practical familiarity with biodiversity data management, i.e. excellent knowledge of Darwin Core, experience with GitHub and R/Python
- Experience with working in an international context
- Good communication skills. Fluent in spoken and written English. Ability to write and speak clearly and effectively, including the ability to draft reports in a concise style and communicate complex scientific information
- Self-motivated and resourceful, with the proven ability to multi-task and prioritize multiple assignments
- Ability to plan own work and manage conflicting priorities, work under pressure.
Your written offer should comprise:
(a) A Technical Proposal consisting of
- an up to date personal curriculum vitae
- a motivation letter indicating how your qualifications and experience make you suitable for the assignment and
- an approach and methodology for the assignment, a workplan and comments on the Terms of Reference if any (in brief).
(b) The amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars or in euros only. Travel costs related to attending project meetings should not be included.
Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in eitherEnglish or French.
UNESCO places great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation best value for money.
Your proposal should be submitted by e-mail no later than close of business (23:59-Paris time) on Wednesday 03 May 2023 E-mail proposals should not exceed 5MB. The e-mail address is: w.appeltans@unesco.org with obligatory cc to: info@iode.org.
It is the individual’s responsibility to ensure that his/her proposal is received by the deadline.
Further information about this opportunity can be found here.