PRR Project

Summary

Job descriptionRecruitment of one Assistant Researcher to perform duties in the scientific areas of Social and Economic Geography. This FCT-Tenure Non-academic position is a partnership between CinTurs (UIDP/04020/2020), and Câmara Municipal de Olhão (Town Hall of Olhão). A potential candidate (PC) must hold a PhD in economics, resource management, or a related field, with over 12 years of experience. Postgraduate degrees in social science research methods are also valuable for the application. The candidate should have accumulated experience working on projects linked to coastal management and blue economy. Scientific profilea. Have completed a PhD 5 years or more ago;b. Have post-doctoral experience in at least one of CinTurs´ three research areas: Tourism; Territories and Environment; Tourism and Hospitality Management; Tourism, Leisure and Society;c. Have postdoc research experience in national and international geographic contexts (including supervision and/or mentoring of postgraduate students);d. Have been involved in European projects;e. Have experience as a visiting researcher in foreign institutions;f. Have experience as a consultant in aquatic resource management, and coastal tourism management in international teams;g. Have experience in leadership of scientific projects, including the hiring of research fellows;h. Have methodological analysis skills, including multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), Bayesian analysis, or R environment. RationaleThe hired researcher should be able to develop the following themes identified as relevant by CinTurs and the Municipality of Olhão: 1-Management of destination areas and biodiversity in the Ria FormosaThe municipality of Olhão is the “heart” of Ria Formosa where it can be found the habitats: 1)sandy barrier island; 2)saltmarsh; 3)pine forest; and 4)anthropogenic. The destination search may be related to the type of offer proposed by operators. Destination area management will be all the more efficient if stakeholders and resources are known. It will be possible to establish partnerships with stakeholders–including Olhão municipality–represented in each habitat and interested in developing ideas for co-creating tourist and leisure activities that involve preserving the Ria Formosa biodiversity as destination areas. 2-Carrying capacity in tourist destination areas-barrier islandsThe barrier islands separate the Ria Formosa from the coast. The sandy barrier islands–e.g. Armona island (in Olhão municipality)–are subject to great human pressure annually, due to tourist demand as a holiday destination area during the summer season. As barrier islands are very fragile structures, it is important to devise strategies to control carrying capacity. It is possible to follow strategies identical to those already carried out elsewhere (e.g., Azores: Pico – climb to peak). It is essential to come up with indicators and establish strategies that can be used to control tourist pressure. Devise mitigation measures to avoid exceeding carrying capacity in Armona barrier island and its surroundings. 3-Tourism and protected areas, integration with nautical activitiesProtected areas–as destinations–for leisure activities are highly sought after for people. Spaces in protected areas do not always have the conditions to accommodate those who use them. Infrastructures such as marked trails, signage, toilets, and others are important to retain users in a healthier environment (i.e., the protected areas in the Municipality of Olhão). Nautical activities including gastronomy or observation of marine animals can diversify tourist demand and help to protect them. To be viable these activities must be sustainable so that they can be economically feasible. It will be possible to establish contacts with these stakeholders (including salt producers), build a database, and create a collaboration in a co-creation mode with the Municipality of Olhão for recreational and cultural occupations that allow synergy between these economic activities. 4-Development of Fishing Tourism in Ria FormosaSmall-scale fishing is often a subsistence activity. During the summer season or when there is more tourist demand, an alternative for fishermen is to diversify their economic activity by taking tourists to recreational fishing events in co-creation (fishing tourism). It will be desirable to establish contacts with all these fishermen and shellfish gatherers who are interested in a process of co-creating activities that can boost their economic activity. It is important to build a database, to create a network with the experience of different stakeholders (i.e., tourism agents and fishermen/shellfish gatherers and associations). Integrating cultural aspects into traditional co-creation activities is essential to succeed.