Internship at Latvian Fund for Nature - grassland habitat inventory and management

14.09.2021

Latvian Fund for Nature offers a unique internship position for natural sciences Bachelor student interested in working with grassland habitat inventories and management. You will have an opportunity to participate in the project GrassLIFE, which is a nation-wide grassland restoration project, dealing with EU priority grassland habitats.

Interns will be provided with the initial training in plant identification upon starting the internship and afterwards tasked with independent work under a supervision of an experienced grassland habitat expert. The main scope will be to participate in the monitoring and evaluation of semi-natural grassland restoration success in project GrassLIFE. The work will involve extensive fieldwork, working outdoors in various weather conditions, and participation in practical management and restoration activities in the field (removal of invasive species, seed collection e.t.c.). We will provide interns with means of transport and will cover the transport and accommodation costs while working in the field (if those costs would not be covered by Erasmus or other scholarship).

We offer a unique opportunity to participate in the hands-on habitat management and restoration work, and become a part of a grassland restoration and management team. You will acquire practical skills in grassland plant species and habitat identification, habitat management planning and monitoring.

Detailed description of main tasks:

Task 1: fieldwork in grassland habitat monitoring
(temporal frame: 2-4 days a week during the fieldwork season – end of May-July)
Intern duties will focus primarily on assisting in the field surveys in after-restoration monitoring: counts of plant species cover in permanent and semi-permanent plots (standard methodology for vegetation description) and description of vegetation structure according to the EU habitat mapping methodology of Latvia.

Task 2: fieldwork with habitat restoration and removal of invasive species
(temporal frame: 2-4 days a week in early May)
Intern duties will focus on assisting in the practical field works for sward management in experimental plots (grass cutting, weeding), removal of invasive species, collecting of grassland biomass samples etc.

Possible additional tasks:

3. Assisting in the field surveys in urban meadow monitoring.
4. Fieldwork with collecting seeds in grasslands.
5. Data entry in the database (office work).

 

Duration: 3 months

Period: 1 May to 31 July, 2022

Deadline to apply: 30 November 2021

Field of studies: natural sciences / agricultural sciences / geography or geology

Commitment: 4 days per week

Years of experience required: Yes

Level of studies: Bachelor

Skills required:

  • English: Independent User B2
  • Drivers licence (EU category B)
  • Basic knowledge in plant species determination
  • Knowledge of ecology of semi-natural grassland ecosystems
  • Research skills
  • Computer skills (Word, Spreadsheets, databases)
  • Interpersonal skills - being able to work independently, as well as working in team; proactivity
  • Working knowledge of Latin for species identification would be an advantage

Additional information:

  • The internship is UNPAID, priority will be given to applicants who are part or are planning to apply for Erasmus Plus or other scholarship.
  • Legal eligibility to work in the EU is a must.
  • Foreign students should be covered by health and travel insurance from their home country.

How to apply:

Option 1: apply via Erasmus internship portal www.erasmusintern.org, the direct link to the announcement here: https://erasmusintern.org/traineeship/

Option 2: apply by sending an e-mail with Motivation Letter and your CV to Latvian Fund for Nature at ldf@ldf.lv
 

Internship position at Latvian Fund for Nature - grassland habitat inventory and management description in .pdf here.