Organization Mission
Surfrider Foundation Europe is an environmental not-for-profit organisation which “aims at defending, saving, promoting and managing in a sustainable manner the ocean, the coastline, waves and the people who enjoy them”. Throughout its existence it has acquired strong environment skills and developed real expertise in environmental education. Having now gained recognition at European and international level, Surfrider has also become a key player in European influential networks on such matters.
Surfrider Foundation Europe”s European network of grassroots chapters and affiliates, volunteer to protect and preserve coastal resources. Chapters mobilize the public on issues that affect their communities through direct action organizing that result in real, immediate and concrete improvements in the coastal environment.
Surfrider works on three different thematics : Marine litter, water quality and health, and coastal management. The coastla management programm is the most recent one, mostly developed in France. We plan to develop it in our Portuguese entities as well. To that end, we need to understand more clearly the legal framework on coastal management, the different laws taht exists, the stakeholders that can have a role (legal or operational by managing the coastal area our by buying coastal lands). We will also need a specific focus on how nature based solutions for coastal adaptation are adressed in the Poortuguese action plans.
Context
Within the “coastal management” thematic, we have two objectives :
– reduce coastal artificialization by fighting against new coastal construction
– promote nature based solutions for coastal management instead of traditional “grey” measures
We are currently writing a report on nature based solution (no sepcific target, mainly internal) to gather all the exeprtise we have on the subject, so that this document becomes an internal reference. We detail the issues in France and at the EU level, and also want to highlight some specifities in Spain an Portugal. In the end, it will allow us to develop a global strategy regarding nature based solutions and fight angainst coastal constructions, and more specific actions depending in the context of each country.
Key Responsibilities
The online volunteer will need to :
– gather in an excel document the Portuguese websites that are particularly relevant regarding coastal management and nature based solutions in Portugal, the most important laws, and if relevant, the links to scientific studies, with a short summary of the information we can find on each page.
-Write a summary on coastal management in Portugal, including the existing legal framework addressing coastal management. Indicate whether there is a specific coastal law, a climate law containing provisions for coastal areas, and explain how urbanization laws address coastal risks. Clarify the respective roles of the State and the regions, identify which authorities are responsible for designing local coastal management plans, and explain how these plans are reported, including their frequency and reporting bodies. Beyond municipalities, specify which actors may own coastal land and be responsible for managing coastal areas and coastal risks (such as public institutions, private owners, or NGOs). Also examine whether there are laws or plans specifically addressing coastal risk management, planned coastal retreat, and the reduction or limitation of coastal artificialization. Finally, indicate whether there are dedicated public or private funding mechanisms.
Maximum length: 6 pages (+ bibliography).
-Write a summary regarding nature-based solutions in Portugal. Explain whether nature-based solutions are specifically mentioned in climate change adaptation plans, and whether they are explicitly referred to in laws or projects related to coastal adaptation. Also indicate whether there are dedicated funding mechanisms supporting the development of nature-based solutions for coastal adaptation.
Maximum length: 2 pages (+ bibliography).
– we can have a first virtual meeting to settle the mission
Required Skills and Experience
-Ability to conduct legal and policy analysis particularly in the fields of environmental law, coastal management, climate change policy, and spatial planning.
-Strong research and academic writing skills; ability to collect information from multiple sources and synthesize it into concise, well-structured, and analytical summaries.
-Understanding of Portugal’s governance structure; ability to explain and compare the roles of the State, regions, municipalities, and other stakeholders.
-Knowledge of climate adaptation and coastal risks; familiarity with concepts such as coastal retreat, erosion, flooding, coastal artificialization, and adaptation planning.
-Understanding of nature-based solutions (NbS); especially in the context of coastal adaptation and ecosystem-based approaches.
-Ability to review policy documents and legislation; including laws, national strategies, adaptation plans, municipal plans, and EU policy frameworks.
-Strong English writing proficiency; as the deliverables are expected to follow a professional and analytical policy-summary format.
To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate in your cover/motivation letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.