OceanExpert ID : 36802

User profile picture

Miss Clara ALVAREZ ALONSO

Higher Scientific Officer (Marine Ecology)

DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division, Marine Conservation and Reporting team

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Location

Klondyke Building
Cromac avenue
Belfast
BT7 2JA
United Kingdom

Nationality

Spain

Email(s)

Please login to see the email.

Telephone

00447414468220

Profile URL

https://www.oceanexpert.org/expert/claraalvar

Highest Degree

Msc

Job Type

Research
Data Management
Natural Resource Management

Subject Area

Biological Oceanography, Marine Ecology
Fisheries, Aquaculture

Activities

▪ Coordination of the team's science programme and scientific survey planning

▪ Coordination, development and implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and biodiversity monitoring programmes

▪ Coordination and development of MPA and biodiversity scientific assessments

▪ Designations and management of MPAs under various legislations for Statuary compliance, including contribution to the Habitats Directive

▪ Providing conservation advice to competent authorities to support consent, compliance and meet the Department’s obligations under nature legislation

▪ Spatial and biological data analysis

▪ Assisting the Site Integrity manager implementing and enforcing environmental regulations and working closely with landowners in the management of designated sites.

Sea regions of study

Irish Sea and St. George's Channel
North Atlantic Ocean

Skills

- Communication skills: I have worked in various types of teams from research teams to policy making teams, including working in vessels where team relations and coordination skills are important. I coordinate and project manage successful fieldwork programs across different teams and public authorities to fulfil government targets in Northern Ireland

- Mediating skills: I work on the borders between conservation scientists, policy makers and other stakeholders. I support partnerships and workshops for public engagement on implementing policies for marine conservation. I also represent Northern Ireland in the MPA technical group of the UK group and MarLIN Steering Committee

- Intercultural skills: I am experienced at working in a European dimension having done an international masters and having worked abroad for over six years.
- Organisation skills: I organise and lead meetings, I coordinate fieldwork programmes. I coordinate the production of MPA condition assessments. I manage staff and students on work placements and I have also done so in previous jobs

- Stakeholder engagement skills: I also work with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) on the assessment of our MPA network by proving evidence and updates and I support them on the nominations of OSPAR MPAS, leading the way in the UK. I have organised workshops with a range of stakeholders during the Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) designation programme in Northern Ireland

-Specialist skills: grab processing, aquarium maintenance, PCR, intertidal fieldwork skills, boat skills (Crew experience and power boat level 2 commercially endorsed), Underwater drop-cameras video, video tows, grab sampling and dive surveying, groundfish surveying, Nephrops surveying, fish larvae surveying, acoustic-pelagic surveying, oceanographic surveying, intertidal work) and good expertise in biotoping and SACFOR, MarESA Assessments and impact assessments and biodiversity assessments. At beginner level I have used Echoview, Matlab and R.

 

Working language(s)

English

Website(s)

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/

Created: 2019-03-12 | Last Updated: 2019-03-12 by Clara ALVAREZ ALONSO