Project Associate

Description

ATREE is looking for an associate to work under the IGSTC-funded WISER project The biodiversity and climate nexus in mangrove ecosystems: a remote-sensing perspective on contrasting mangrove forests in India

About the project

Mangroves have the potential to retain both allochthonous and autochthonous organic carbon in their sediments from both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems can aid the accurate quantification of the sources of organic carbon for the allocation of blue carbon credits. Inland mangroves of Guneri (First Biodiversity Heritage Site of Gujarat) and Shravan Kavadiya are of conservation significance due to their rare occurrence.

This study intends to carry out a comparison of the inland mangroves with a unique gene pool to those of the planted and natural mangroves existing in the vicinity of the coastal regions of Gulf of Kachchh. With the ease of sample collection, non-destructive and non- invasive methods, environmental DNA (eDNA) technology plays an indispensable role to better understand the mangrove biodiversity, which is more auditable, scalable and standardized. This technique identifies the shed genetic material of organisms and hence promises to contribute to the mangrove carbon markets, but are largely unexplored, particularly in India. Mangrove carbon credits through satellite based remote sensing techniques and machine learning (to model sediment, vegetation, climatic and geomorphological properties to explore the major regulators of organic carbon sources in mangrove sediments) in conjunction with improved biodiversity assessments through eDNA techniques and Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) assessment using Pyrolysis- GC/MS method shall be explored (in collaboration with Dr. Veronique Helfer, Senior Scientist, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, ZMT, Germany), which in turn will provide dual opportunity for environmental security as well as economic growth.

Responsibilities

Will have to work on processing

• High-resolution satellite imagery
• Remote sensing and GIS
• Geospatial techniques
• Carbon sequestration/ Carbon flows
• Biomass estimation and mapping
• Programming using Python and R, and handling statistical software.

Qualifications

• Master’s in Ecology with specialization in Ecological Informatics/ Related

How to Apply

Upload your CV along with reference.

Note

• Only candidates who are shortlisted for the interview will be contacted.