PVA Practitioner Development Path
PVA Practitioner Development Path
What is the PVA Practitioner Development Path?
CPSG’s PVA Practitioner Development Path is a mentorship pathway that leads qualified participants along a course of population viability modelling practice and reflection with an expert PVA Practitioner mentor. Upon completion, the mentee will have the quantitative and interpersonal skills required to lead the development of a PVA within a species conservation planning workshop process.
Who is a good candidate for the PVA Practitioner Development Path?
Candidates for the PVA Practitioner Development Path should be able to demonstrate a strong background in population biology and the statistical analysis of wildlife population demography, as well as some competency in the computer skills necessary for simulation model development. In addition, candidates must complete CPSG’s formal facilitation training course. Finally, candidates need to be employed by an organization that is prepared to both allocate the time required to complete the mentorship and, after completion of their mentorship, to dedicate a minimum of 30 days per year for at least two years to participate in CPSG planning projects.
How long does it take to complete the PVA Practitioner Development Path?
The duration of the PVA Practitioner Development Path will vary depending on the mentee’s underlying technical skills, the pace of individual mentee development and the availability of planning workshop opportunities for their practice. Depending on these variables, the mentorship is likely to be completed in 12 to 24 months.
What do I get out of completing the PVA Practitioner Development Path?
When a mentor observed that a PVA Practitioner Development Path mentee can confidently lead a collaborative PVA process, from initial project design through to the completion of the PVA report, the mentee is awarded with a certificate that officially recognizes them a CPSG PVA Practitioner. The graduate is then authorized to serve as a PVA practitioner in CPSG planning projects. Moreover, graduates can design and conduct their own PVA processes and, where appropriate, use CPSG’s logo on those projects that benefit from using our core principles and methods.
How do I find out more about the PVA Practitioner Development Path?
Contact Jamie Copsey, CPSG’s Director of Training, at [email protected].
"Through the CPSG PVA Practitioner Development Path, I have seen how PVA comes alive in a conservation planning process. You quickly learn that growth rates and functions are only part of the skill set. Learning how to manage groups of people and translate various types of information into useful information for a PVA are the 'soft skills' you also need to develop along the road, which I've been learning through this process."
-Christie Craig, Endangered Wildlife Trust (South Africa), PVA Practitioner Development Path Mentee