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Job Title: Atkinson Intern, Mexico Fisheries & Food Systems
Program/Department: Fisheries & Oceans

Job Description: EDF offers internships and fellowships for students and recent graduates in a variety of programs and departments throughout the organization. The ultimate goal of our internship and fellowship program is to provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Program/Department Overview: Healthy oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. But they’re in peril –from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and other threats. EDF’s Fisheries & Oceans program has been successfully helping fisheries become more sustainable around the world for over 20 years. We also have initiatives to protect and restore the natural pathways through which the ocean sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide, an essential part of any strategy to prevent catastrophic climate change. Environmental justice and equity are imperatives of our work, as is the improvement of human welfare and food security. We draw on strong science, policy, and economic principles and skills to achieve these ambitious goals.The current global food system is failing people and the planet—it is the single largest driver of environmental degradation and is responsible for 811 million people lacking adequate food and nutrition globally. Food systems are also a significant contributor to both biodiversity loss and global warming, driving roughly 30% of global climate forcing and the vast majority of species extinctions. Agriculture alone threatens 86% of species at risk of extinction and is responsible for 40% of global methane emissions (one of the most potent greenhouse gases, expected to cause half of the projected temperature rise over the next two decades). Meanwhile predicted declines in fish catch from overfishing and climate change will put an additional 10% of the world’s population at risk of malnutrition by the end of the century. The world needs a transformation to meet the food and nutrition needs of people in an equitable and environmentally viable way that simultaneously helps to address biodiversity loss and climate change. By tackling these challenges and supporting innovation both on land and in the water, EDF is working to catalyze this food system transformation to ensure a thriving planet for people and nature.

Overall Function: The Mexico Fisheries & Food Systems Intern will work with the EDF Mexico team to advance research to strengthen the role of fisheries as a catalyst in the transformation of food systems towards their sustainability, resilience and inclusion goals. Through interviews and independent research, the intern will support development of a set of priority actions that could be implemented by key actors in Mexico (fishing sector, governments, merchants, academics and civil society organizations, among others) to transform food systems towards sustainability.

Key Responsibilities: Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Conduct research on food systems, fisheries, and issues relevant to the project objective.
• Conduct interviews or other techniques pertinent to the investigation, with people from the fishing sector, merchants, academics, and civil society organizations, among others.
• Collaborate with the EDF Mexico team in tasks related to the investigation.
• Provide support in the design and organization of the 1st Forum on Fisheries and Food Systems in Mexico.
• Draft a final report outlining a series of priority actions that could be implemented by key stakeholders in Mexico
• Participate in team meetings and check-ins to solicit input and gauge progress.
• Participates in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.