Shaping a sustainable future: The IUCN Programme 2009-2012 frames how IUCN will use the Union’s knowledge and networks to influence decision makers to secure a future for nature and better integrate biodiversity concerns into policies and practices of climate change, energy, development, human security, markets and trade. The IUCN Programme is fully results-based and is structured around ten Global Results within one Core Programme Area (Conserving Biodiversity)and four Thematic Programme Areas (Changing the Climate Forecast, Naturally Energising the Future, Managing Ecosystems for Human Well-Being, and Greening the World Economy). The IUCN Programme provides the global framework for IUCN’s work as undertaken by its Secretariat and Commissions working with members and partners.

The two Global Results of Thematic Programme Area 3: Naturally energising the future are:
• Global result 3.1: Energy policies and strategies mitigate the impact of growing energy demand on biodiversity.
• Global result 3.2: Ecosystem services that underpin sustainable and equitable energy are incorporated in energy policies and strategies.
Bioenergy at both the industrial and small scale levels has emerged as a nexus between the energy and ecosystems agenda that IUCN is focused on in its emerging energy programme of work. The Core Group of the Energy Thematic Programme Area has identified a need to expand IUCN’s work on:
• Biodiversity and social safeguards for large-scale biofuel developments: and
• Rural access to energy based on sustainable management of natural systems.

Following a workshop which convened a group of stakeholders across the biofuels value chain to identify key sustainability issues related to biofuels production, IUCN and Shell have developed a programme of work for enabling and promoting sustainable biofuels spanning 3 years from the period July 2009-July 2012 (in time for reporting into the next World Conservation Congress). The programme of work is built around four areas:
- Harmonising certification processes related to biofuels
- Strengthening methodologies for identifying suitable lands for biofuel development
- Promoting consistent and robust policy regimes for biofuels
- Assessing and managing risks to biofuels developments of sub-standard land-use planning processes

The objective of this programme of work is to enable sustainable solutions for Shell’s biofuels business and draw lessons from these experiences to inform decisions and practices in the wider biofuels industry and policy makers.

Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Officer - Energy and Business, the Programme Officer – Bioenergy will coordinate IUCN’s work on bioenergy related activities in general, and specifically coordinate the second phase of the Shell IUCN project on biofuels. Specific duties are:

1. Consolidating and expanding IUCN’s work on biodiversity and social safeguards for large-scale biofuel developments

• Build and refine IUCN’s understanding of the risks posed by large-scale biofuel developments to biodiversity and people’s livelihoods by tracking developments in the scientific and grey literature, policy discussions, business networks, and NGO networks and providing clear and concise summaries and insights to the biofuels networks within IUCN.
• Develop and promote tools for managing the risks biofuels pose to local ecosystems and people’s livelihoods based on tools and expertise within the IUCN networks (e.g. on invasive species, landuse planning and management, land tenure, access and governance systems, community based resource management).
• Mobilise and support IUCN network input into regulatory and policy fora at the international, regional and national levels including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and other biofuel-related roundtables, the European Renewable Energy Directive, US policy at the federal, regional (North Eastern States) and state (California) level.
• Build regional capacity and programme portfolios to build understanding of implementation of sustainable biofuel production.
• Coordinate work with relevant members to promote IUCN positions and perspectives on biofuel sustainability issues with members and partners.

2. Consolidating and expanding IUCN’s work on access to energy based on natural systems
• Transfer IUCN’s knowledge and expertise in managing the impacts of the traditional use of wood as a source of energy for cooking and lighting into meaningful approaches for the energy community.
• Test the proposition that an ecosystem approach on rural access to energy will yield long term benefits both in terms of satisfying rural energy needs and as a means of conserving ecosystem functioning.
• Work with the Livelihoods and Landscapes network in IUCN to document the role of natural resources by poor and marginalized groups in order to harmonize with local forest strategies and learn across a number of the landscapes in which IUCN is working.

3. Coordinate delivery of Shell-IUCN programme of work on biofuels
• Track and drive forward the work plan, respecting actions, action parties, timings and specific outcomes for each work stream.
• Coordinate regular communication between IUCN-Shell biofuels steering group.
• Maintain and promote the PBWorkspace as an coordination and resource base
• Assist and coordinate focal points for 4 work streams
• Write communication pieces where relevant, including preparation of reports
• Assist workshop deliverable focal points with preparation of background documents for meetings/workshops.

4. Other duties as assigned by the Director - Economy and Environmental Governance Group and/or the Senior Programme Officer – Energy and Business.