Job title: Coral Reef Nursery Maintenance staff (2 people)
Supervisor: Reef Restoration Manager
Duty Station: Tanga, Tanzania.
Start Date: June 2024
Time 100% y1-y3; 50% y4

Background:

Mwambao Coastal Community Network was established in 2010 to help communities in Tanzania’s coastal areas develop strong and effective local resource management systems that support livelihoods and sustain marine ecosystems. Mwambao employs a human-rights based approach and works to empower local communities and enable them to learn from each other through a community-based network spanning different coastal areas and communities. The network structure fosters learning as well as collective action on shared interests such as influencing policy.

Mwambao has emerged as a leading actor in facilitating community-based marine management in Zanzibar as well as in north-eastern Tanzania working with a number of key international partners whose relationships need confident and sensitive mentoring. The team has expanded significantly in recent years in terms of funding, geographical spread, and diversity of approaches. Mwambao currently has 63 full-time staff and established offices in Tanga, Pangani, Pemba Island and Unguja Island Zanzibar.

Mwambao is currently engaged in a 4-year Blue Action Fund project that aims to build the marine co-management capacity of MCHOMAPUNDA CFMA as part of a wider project in the Pemba Channel.

Mwambao is seeking two (2) full-time Coral Reef Nursery Maintenance staff to take care of the corals to be farmed and nursed during the project under the direct supervision of Mwambao’s Reef Restoration and project manager. The work will be carried out in the Tanga region (Boma and Chongoleani peninsula) under the project entitled ‘Biodiversity Offsetting and Livelihood Restoration for communities of the MCHOMAPUNDA Community

Fisheries Management Area’ with majority funding by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline

Project.

Overview of the role
Mwambao and their local partners are implementing a 5-year project entitled ‘Biodiversity

Offsetting and Livelihood Restoration for communities of the MCHOMAPUNDA Community Fisheries Management Area’ with majority funding by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project near Tanga, coastal Tanzania.

The Coral Reef Nursery Maintenance staff will be responsible of daily coral farm and nursery maintenance under the direct supervision of the project’s Restoration field officer, and Project manager.

They will actively manage the husbandry and maintenance of coral nurseries, and assist with coral reef restoration fieldwork including outplanting, monitoring, and research activities as needed. They will operate and expand in-water coral nursery (farm, genetic pool), nursed coral species inventory, weekly monitoring of survival and growth to viable outplanting sizes for restoration purposes.

They will construct and deploy with the project core team and communities artificial reef structures. They will be in charge of the weekly cleaning, coral classification and inventory ( numbers , genus), propagation of corals using asexual (micro-fragmentation) methods, regular health assessments of nursery-reared corals, and in-water nursery structure maintenance, and coral outplanting as needed.

Other Mwambao staff will assist in all required data collection training methods, data entry and cleaning, analysis so as to report back to the communities. They will also be in charge of the coral nursery gear and equipment maintenance including evaluation of nets and other structures/gear condition so as to track equipment and replacement needs in a timely manner.

The new hires will be trained on coral nursing techniques, ecology, troubleshooting as well as new and alternative restoration techniques

Those are 3.5 year positions based in Tanga, Tanzania.

Key Relationships

Reporting to: Restoration Field Officer, and Project manager.

Key relationships within Mwambao-MCCC: Tanga programme coordinator, Scientific

Restoration Advisor and Chief Technical

Others : Consultants (trainers) and snorkeling/dive base and landing sites staff

Roles and Responsibilities
The key roles and responsibilities are as outlined below:

Perform all coral husbandry and nursery daily maintenance tasks as dictated by the Project manager and Restoration Field Officer
Perform daily maintenance of coral tables/trees and coral fragments (removing algae from corals and crustaceans from supports)
Conduct regular coral health assessments (survival, bleaching) of all corals in the nursery and as required of the outplanted corals on artificial structures and home reef
Ensure to meet coral propagation quotas as established by Marine Cultures and
Mwambao’s scientific advisors (daily, weekly, monthly)

Perform routine repairs of coral tables, trees, and other structures in the in-water nursery
Produce coral cement discs or pins as needed for coral nursing
Construct, install, and maintain in-water nursery structures
Conduct inventory of coral and mangrove nursery stock
Participate in ex-situ coral monitoring and collection activities as needed
Keep records of COO nursing including collection site (GIS), time and genus/species collected using a reference manual
Participate in nursery-reared coral outplanting efforts as needed
Fill the daily activities and data collection forms using a mobile app
Qualification and Experience Required:

S. or B.A. degree in fisheries, ecology, or natural resources management or related field OR those with a high school diploma who have substantial experience working in the diving industry and in coral/mangrove restoration
At least 1 year of relevant professional working experience in the WIO region in marine ecosystems and ideally in coral restoration activities
Understanding of, and sensitivity towards, the culture and livelihoods context of rural/local coastal communities in Pemba
Very good in oral and verbal communication skills in both Kiswahili and English
A computer literacy (especially MS Word, Excel, and using the internet) and technical report writing in English
Ability to learn new skills quickly and accomplish tasks in buddy pairs after initial oversight from the project manager and scientific restoration advisor and consulting partners
Ability to meet daily requirements and deadlines set by the supervisors
Ability to lift at least 60 pounds
Excellent swimming and snorkeling skills
Possession of a PADI (or equivalent) Open Water Certification
Preferred

Experience in coral restoration and nursing (coral collection, transportation, fragmentation, outplanting) procedures
Ability to identify WIO coral species to the scientific name at least genus : coral ecology basic knowledge
Boating experience is an advantage
Advanced dive certifications (minimum 50 validated logged dives)
Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.
Ability to see and hear; use arms and hands; handle objects, tools, and controls; and sit.
Ability to lift and move 60 pounds. Ability to dive safely if working in open water.