Conservation International (CI) has been protecting nature for the benefit of all for over 30 years. Through science, policy, and partnerships, CI is helping build a healthier, more prosperous and more productive planet.  

POSITION SUMMARY

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) governed areas contain some of the highest-carbon ecosystems globally, critical to providing climate stability for humanity. However, little is known about the extent and status of carbon in IPLC lands and their link with land tenure. To bridge this knowledge gap, we are seeking a self-motivated intern to assist with a high-level review of IPLC held lands and rights in key countries in the Asia Pacific region, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam (country list may be narrowed based on data availability and intern’s geographic expertise). The intern will collect spatial data of formally recognized territories of IPLCs through a variety of sources, including peer-reviewed literature, media reports, government reports, and other relevant documents. The research will also involve review of legal documents to determine IPLC land rights in different countries. Follow-on analysis will assess the relationship between different land tenure types and carbon storage and flux on Indigenous lands in Asia-Pacific. This research will fill a key knowledge gap in CI’s current data, and in terms of quantifying IPLC’s contributions to global climate security.

The position is a 12 week summer internship.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific tasks include:

• Conduct a high-level overview of data availability for IPLC land tenure in Asia-Pacific region.
• Data collection: collect systematic spatial data for 2-5 countries. This may include collection and review of legal documents, and outreach to acquire data
• Data cleaning and management: clean and manage data following standardized templates and workflow
• Data analysis: contribute to key scientific analyses, including an IPLC-carbon Perspective study. This may include statistical and spatial analyses, figure development, and scientific writing.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Normal office environment. The intern will likely work remotely due to Covid-19