Background

The GEF has approved a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) for Seychelles in order to produce a UNDP Project Document (PRODOC) and a GEF CEO Approval Request (both using the appropriate templates) for the above-mentioned project. The project to be prepared is a Full-Size Project (FSP). The approved Project Information Form (PIF) summarizes the project concept and was produced in close collaboration with key government officials, NGOs, donors and the private sector, under the guidance of UNDP-GEF. The PIF was approved by the GEF CEO in December 2011 and it was included in the GEF Work Programme of February 2012. The PIF received comments from the GEF Secretariat and from its Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP). These comments will help shape the design of the PRODOC and they will need to be addressed during project preparation through a formal response. 

As per the GEF5 project cycle, once a PIF is approved, the GEF Agency, in this case UNDP, has up to 18 months for developing the project and presenting it for CEO Endorsement with the confirmation of co-financing. In this light, the Project Preparation Grant will be implemented over 10 months period. The Request for GEF CEO endorsement and the UNDP Project Document therefore will be finalized and cleared for submission to the GEF no later than Mid-March 2013 or it will risk forfeiture of its funding. 

The project, which is budgeted for $1,785,500 in GEF funding ($1,068,493 from the Biodiversity Focal Area and $562,100 from the Land Degradation Focal Area). In addition, the PIF foresees that a minimum of $5.8 million in co-financing will be mobilized
The project’s objective is promote the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine biodiversity in the Seychelles’ Outer Islands by integrating a National Subsystem of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas (CMPAs) into the broader land- and seascape while reducing the pressures on natural resources from competing land uses. This will be achieved through the following components:

• Management effectiveness is enhanced within a sample of coastal and marine protected areas (IUCN Category I, II and VI) operating under innovative public-private-civil society partnership agreements.
• Sustainable Development and CMPA management integrated into broader land/seascape in the Outer Islands 

The PPG process is to be implemented between July 2012 and June 2013 and will focus on the activities necessary for approving and finalizing the proposed project. The focal point for the project in the government, and the PPG team of consultants, will work in collaboration with existing related initiatives to carry out the following activities (additional details are in the approved Project Preparation Grant document):

• Elaborate on and analyse the ‘baseline project investments’ -- with particular focus on initiatives related to SLM initiatives and PA management.
  
• Collect and analyse detailed data country-wide on the government and non-government investments in the environment sector, on Protected Area (PA) management and on the Integrated Management of Natural Resources IMNR.
• Confirm data on donor-funded, non-governmental and private sector investments in the environment and natural resource management sector in general and in PA management more specifically.
• Analyse whether the overall level of investments in the environment sector, in INRM and in PA management meet the needs of an expanded PA estate in the Outer Islands.
• Assess through the willingness of key stakeholder to participate in a developing a Business Plan and a transparent and independent finance mechanism for the Outer Islands (as proposed in the PIF).
• Identify the key barriers to an effective investment in PA management and INRM in the Outer islands.
• Complete baseline assessments and Scorecards for sites to be targeted by the project for PA expansion and ecosystem rehabilitation, as relevant sections of the LD PMAT Scorecard
• Application of the GEF SO1 Tracking Tools (on Protected Areas)
• Site surveys (PA staff, infrastructure, PA budgets, PA governance, site tourism potential, job creation and revenue generation potential)
• Application of the relevant sections of the LD PMAT
• Assess the status of ecosystems and the services that they render in the target CMPAs / islands
• Reach out to the Ministry of Land Use and Housing to obtain the results of detailed aerial photography of relevant Outer Islands
• Produce maps for project sites, as well as for the entire project
  
• Assess the project’s baseline on policy, legal, institutional and financial frameworks, on national capacity for CMPA management and INRM, and develop the global significance argument for the project
• Analyse the policy, legal and regulatory and fiscal frameworks for CMPA management and INRM
• Analyse the institutional frameworks and identify capacities and capacity gaps at the relevant levels for the management of an expanded CMPA sub-system and SLM in the Outer Islands
• Application of the Financial Sustainability Scorecard for PA management with focus on the CMPA subsystem
  - Apply the Financial Scorecard for the entire PA system, as an input to the new PIF on PA finance
• Develop the global significance argument for the project on the basis of Outer Islands ecosystems, the services that they render and the species that they harbour
  
• Confirm project strategy, as embedded in the PIF, conduct feasibility and risk analyses, and outline the budget
  Additional activity : Detailed incremental-cost analysis as per GEF guidance: precise definition of baseline projects, activities, budgets, goals and co-financial links to GEF outcomes; definition of GEF incremental value per outcome (and output if applicable); presentation of results of the incremental cost-analysis in matrices.
• Assessment of the social, economic and financial sustainability of project activities, as well as a description of the project’s socio-economic benefits, including gender aspects.
• An honest analysis of key risks to project success and proposed mitigation measures
  - Assessment of the alternatives to the project strategy and detailed definition of the cost effectiveness of the preferred strategy and suite of activities.
• Development of the project’s monitoring and evaluation plan, and budget. This should follow UNDP’s standards for M&E costing and should be reflected in the project’s total budget and work plan (TBW).
  - Quantification and detailed presentation of the global environmental benefits of the project. This will be part of the incremental reasoning / cost analysis
• Costing the expected project outcomes and outputs.
• ToRs for the key consultants to be engaged and contracts/agreements to be celebrated by the project. These should be thorough and output-based.
  - Definition of the replication strategy for project activities. This aspect should be embedded in sustainability considerations.
  - Finalisation of the project’s logic, with particular emphasis on ecological, SLM and other relevant indicators.
  - Negotiation and confirmation of project co-financing through letters of commitment
  Relevant documentation on the project can be found at:
  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pxuzu6saax4e3yq/wfOR_J03Ci/Outer%20Islands%20PPG 
  http://www.thegef.org/gef/node/4465
  http://www.thegef.org/gef/node/4403

Application Note:

• You may apply on-line through UNDP jobs website http://jobs.undp.org OR send by email to jobs.mu@undp.org  mentioning “’UNDP-GEF PPG consultancy Outer Island Baseline Site Assessments”
• Please ensure to access the IC Procurement Notice available at http://un.intnet.mu to view the evaluation criteria for the selection, the TOR and the UNDP Personal History Form- P11.
  Also ensure that ALL the requested documents are uploaded as one attachment in the relevant field of the on-line application. Alternatively, send all your documents to jobs.mu@undp.org
  

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of Consultancy

The aim of this Output-Based Consultancy is to plan the baseline establishment with respect to target select PAs in the Outer Islands’ Subsystem of CMPAs and of INRM baseline through the application of relevant sections of the LD PMAT (Project Monitoring and Assessment Tool).

Scope of Work

The consultant will work under guidance from the project’s Biodiversity specialist and be supported by the two national consultants.
The consultant will play a pivotal role in this PPG activity and is expected to provide information and data for the due completion of the required tracking tools and scorecards (including inputs to the ‘Financial Scorecard’, which will be primarily completed by another consultant).
Much of the information needed for completing the scorecards and tracking tools foreseen in this consultancy will be sources from the following project partners: 

• Environment Department (lead implementing partner)
• Seychelles National Parks Authority
• Islands Development Company
• Seychelles Fisheries Authority
• Seychelles Islands Foundation
• Companies managing hotels on the islands
• Other relevant entities and individuals to be consultant may also include:
• Seychelles Tourism Board
• Project manager for the Seychelles Mainstreaming Biodiversity Project
• Project manager and technical advisor for the Seychelles SLM Project
• Other relevant members of the UNDP-GEF PCU
• Relevant Seychellois Civil Society Organisations
  

UNDP and the Environment Department will facilitate the contact to the different entities and individuals.

The following sub activities will be undertaken: 

• Application of the PA Management Effectiveness Tracking Tools (or METT) for the following sites:
  - South Island Farquhar National Park together with Goelettes Island (Farquhar) and Banc de Sables Special Reserves;
  - South Island (Poivre) National Park;
  - Alphonse Managed Resource Use PA; and
  - Desroches Managed Resource Use PA.
• More specifically, for each site, and using the new GEF SO1 Tracking Tools for Biodiversity in MS Excel format (workbook comprised of several sheets), the specific worksheet ‘Objective 1. Section II’ is to be thoroughly completed, one sheet per site. PA managers and other relevant stakeholder should be consulted in the exercise. The applicable Tracking Tools questionnaires are to be completed with sufficiently detailed comments for each of the questions, both for the threat analysis section (with 12 categories of threats in all) and for METT Assessment scores (with 30 METT topics in all + bonus questions).
• In connection with the METT application:
  - Survey the current protected area staff complement and its adequacy (how many staff, where they are based, what their functions and training levels are, who they report to and how etc.); interview key PA staff as necessary.
  - Survey protected area infrastructures and their status of maintenance (roads, buildings, fences, etc.), as well as equipment, their use and adequacy vis-à-vis the needs. This may be done indirectly through interviews with partners, given logistical difficulties of reaching the Outer Islands region.
  - Obtain information on PA budgets and flows of funds for each of the sites (to verify the national assessment).
  - Assess the governance frameworks for the management of sites: Is there a PA board or council? How does it function? What is the PA management model? Who are the key stakeholders in PA management? Are they involved in or consulted upon PA management decisions? What are the existing and prospective partnerships for PA management?
  - Briefly assess the tourism potential of project sites.
  - Analyse the potential for job creation and revenue generation deriving from the expansion of the protected areas estate. 
• Application of the relevant sections of the LD PMAT to target landscapes (other sections do not apply for this project). These are:
  - Project Identification
  - Project Context & Impacts
  PART I – PROJECT CONTEXT AND TARGETED IMPACTS
  - Outcomes and Learning
  PART II – PROJECT OUTCOMES AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT; LD3 – SLM in wider landscapes (integrated management)
• Based on existing data, assess the status of ecosystems and the services that they render in the target CMPAs / islands. This will include the main threats to the biodiversity in target sites, but in particular the health of critical ecosystems slated for strict protection/rehabilitation and of relevant ecosystem services. Climate change impacts should also be considered. Maps, land conversion rates, indicator species population assessments (if those are available), rates of harvesting of wood and non-wood forest products, rate of coral fragmentation in protected near-shore sites (if feasible to assess) may all be appropriate ways to assess the status of the ecosystems and surrounding landscapes in target sites.
• Reach out to the Ministry of Land Use and Housing to obtain the results of detailed aerial photography of relevant Outer Islands. The survey was planned to be carried out in November 2011.
• Produce maps for project sites, as well as for the entire project (the later with focus on the expansion of the existing CMPA estate and key Outer Islands landscapes).
  

Expected Results:

• Complete GEF SO1 Tracking Tools for Biodiversity in MS Excel format (workbook comprised of several sheets)
• Complete GEF LD PMAT Tracking Tools with the relevant tabs filled in.
• Report on Site surveys with focus on PA staff, infrastructure, PA budgets, PA governance, site tourism potential, job creation and revenue generation potential
• Set of aerial photography of relevant Outer Islands made available
• Maps for project sites, as well as for the entire project
  

Competencies

• Ability to communicate written or oral in English effectively in order to explain and disseminate complex, technical information to technical and general audiences
• Analytical and summarizing skills
• Attention to detail and ability to use, interpret data and make sense of data sets and information
• Skills in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others
• Skills in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise
• Skills in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations
  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree in a relevant field for conservation work (either with ecological, socio-economic background); these may e.g. be: environmental sciences;, ecology, economics, social sciences, agronomy, hydrology, etc. 

Experience:

• A minimum 7 years of work experience preferably more, given the complexity of the tasks in question, with professional specialization in issues of Protected Areas and Sustainable Land Management 
• Extensive knowledge of protected area issues, including legal and policy frameworks, protected areas planning and management effectiveness, and ecological monitoring systems for protected areas
• Demonstrated track record in protected areas programs/projects (publications, proposals, reports)
• Knowledge of environmental issues, policies and programs in the Seychelles (preferred)
• Ease of use of Ms Excel is necessary
• Experience with GEF project development is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent mastery of oral and written English.
• Understanding of French and/ or Creole may be an advantage