Background

UNDP would like to engage an experienced consultant, who has a strong background in conservation and development in snow leopard territories and range states and can effectively contribute to the development of a Full Sized Project by designing key project interventions related to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

The proposed project aims to support the Government of India to effectively promote sustainable land and forest management in the alpine pastures and forests in high range Indian Himalayan ecosystems that secures sustainable livelihoods and community resilience and ensures conservation of globally significant biodiversity and threatened species.

The project will engineer a paradigm shift from the current approach of relying solely on small, isolated Protected Areas and other conservation actions to deliver biodiversity conservation including conservation of threatened species to one that takes an integrated approach – that considers PAs as corner stone of biodiversity conservation but whose integrity and effectiveness can only be attained by working at multi-sector and landscape scales, focusing on important areas outside PAs, and also working with sectors and partners outside the conservation sector to effectively reduce threats to globally significant biodiversity. This approach recognizes that the major and emerging threats to biodiversity in the region, including to the survival of threatened species such as the snow leopard, stem from beyond protected areas and also in several cases beyond the conservation sector (and in some cases beyond the region) – these consist of land use change demands for development especially infrastructure development; harmful practices by production sectors and heavy reliance on natural resources by local communities; and emerging threats of illegal wildlife trade and wildlife crime etc. It further recognizes the importance of a landscape approach to the conservation and management of important areas in the Indian Himalayan region, by ensuring that key biodiversity areas, buffer zones, corridors are sustainably managed in tandem with the sustainable use and management of areas that are contingent to these conservation areas or outside of it in the wider landscape. Further, the project recognizes that these landscapes and ecosystems underpin the lives of a large number of local communities and that implementation of coherent strategy to secure livelihoods and promote alternative livelihood options is an integral part of the solution. It will be implemented over a six year period.

The project will be led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) together with the State Governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. In addition the project will engage several relevant government agencies, autonomous agencies and NGOs.

This Project falls under GEF-6 Programme 3 Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable Development, comprising one global coordination project and a series of national child projects. The development of the FSP will thus entail working closely with the global coordination project to ensure synergies in project planning and implementation, as well as to eliminate duplication of efforts.

UNDP would like to engage an experienced consultant, who has a strong background in conservation and development in snow leopard territories and range states and can effectively contribute to the development of a Full Sized Project by designing key project interventions related to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

The proposed project aims to support the Government of India to effectively promote sustainable land and forest management in the alpine pastures and forests in high range Indian Himalayan ecosystems that secures sustainable livelihoods and community resilience and ensures conservation of globally significant biodiversity and threatened species.

The project will engineer a paradigm shift from the current approach of relying solely on small, isolated Protected Areas and other conservation actions to deliver biodiversity conservation including conservation of threatened species to one that takes an integrated approach – that considers PAs as corner stone of biodiversity conservation but whose integrity and effectiveness can only be attained by working at multi-sector and landscape scales, focusing on important areas outside PAs, and also working with sectors and partners outside the conservation sector to effectively reduce threats to globally significant biodiversity. This approach recognizes that the major and emerging threats to biodiversity in the region, including to the survival of threatened species such as the snow leopard, stem from beyond protected areas and also in several cases beyond the conservation sector (and in some cases beyond the region) – these consist of land use change demands for development especially infrastructure development; harmful practices by production sectors and heavy reliance on natural resources by local communities; and emerging threats of illegal wildlife trade and wildlife crime etc. It further recognizes the importance of a landscape approach to the conservation and management of important areas in the Indian Himalayan region, by ensuring that key biodiversity areas, buffer zones, corridors are sustainably managed in tandem with the sustainable use and management of areas that are contingent to these conservation areas or outside of it in the wider landscape. Further, the project recognizes that these landscapes and ecosystems underpin the lives of a large number of local communities and that implementation of coherent strategy to secure livelihoods and promote alternative livelihood options is an integral part of the solution. It will be implemented over a six year period.

The project will be led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) together with the State Governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. In addition the project will engage several relevant government agencies, autonomous agencies and NGOs.

This Project falls under GEF-6 Programme 3 Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable Development, comprising one global coordination project and a series of national child projects. The development of the FSP will thus entail working closely with the global coordination project to ensure synergies in project planning and implementation, as well as to eliminate duplication of efforts.

During the Initiation Plan period, a number of studies and stakeholder consultations will be undertaken with a view to further developing the approved project concept (see GEF PIF) into a fully formulated project document.  The final output will be a UNDP-GEF project document and GEF CEO endorsement template, with GEF Tracking Tools ready for submission to UNDP and GEF.

• No. of Days and Work Period - 65 days between March 2016 and October 2016;
• Travel Requirement - Missions to the project states;
• Assignment Objectives - Contributing to the development of the project document by undertaking a situational analysis at national and individual state levels and, in response designing key project interventions related to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will act as the lead national consultant to ensure generation of necessary information for project formulation under the guidance of the International Consultant.

In general, the Consultant will:

• Liaise closely with the Wildlife Division of MoEFCC and the State Forestry and Wildlife Departments of the relevant states, and other parties ensuring their full participation and inputs into the PPG process;
• Act as the primary counterpart for the International Consultant, organising meetings and consultation sessions, and providing necessary data, information and analysis for the International Consultant under all the PPG activities including full compilation of the relevant GEF Biodiversity Tracking Tools;
• Draft situation analysis, including analysis of threats, barriers and baseline activities;
• Develop details of project budget;
• Provide guidance to other national consultants, and coordinate activities and inputs of executing agencies and partner organisations;
• Ensure the soundness and appropriateness of the project plan based on the reality and issues on the ground;
• Ensure full stakeholder consultation including communities in the target landscape so as to ensure project ownership and full participation in implementation through generating buy-in on the project contents;

In particular the Consultant will:

• Review policy and legal framework (including international, national and local customary laws) in relation to the conservation of biodiversity and natural resource management, as well as in relation to the natural resource dependent sectors, identifying contradictions or critical gaps which may hamper the progress of implementation, and suggest measures to remove the barriers;
• Review conservation regulations (both statutory and customary), identifying gaps/conflict and make recommendations for harmonization of the same;
• Review of PA system network and other area-based conservation measures - site management structure including reporting, decision making functions as well as a SWOT analysis of existing institutional frameworks against conservation and sustainable development objectives;
• Identify gaps and recommendations on measures for strengthening and rationalising institutional   arrangements and elaborate new institutional models for demonstration at the target landscapes;
• Review and Identify gaps including review of the in-service training plan and materials for conservation and management of natural resources and making recommendations for priority capacity building needs;
• Conduct assessment on the status of existing natural resource management plans (PA management, forestry plans and other sectors) and make concrete recommendations to integrate landscape level approaches  of biodiversity and ecosystems into sector plans;
• Document good practices of biodiversity conservation and natural resource management from the project states;
• Apply the UNDP capacity development scorecards for MoEFCC,  and other appropriate agencies to assess effectiveness of efforts in conservation of globally significant biodiversity and for implementing sustainable community based approaches to biodiversity conservation;
• Define the stakeholder roles, functions and/or responsibilities in the conservation and management of natural resources in the target landscapes and in the implementation of the proposed project; their capacity constraints, strengths and weaknesses in supporting or implementing project activities, in view of identifying the capacity development needs of the different stakeholder groups to ensure the sustainability of project investments beyond the term of the project;
• Based on the above assessment, develop - (i) a detailed institutional analysis identifying clear roles in project implementation; (ii) recommendations for institutional/ agency capacity development activities to strengthen capacities; (iii) a detailed partnership involvement strategy and plan for various agencies in the project implementation phase; and (iv) a description of the project governance and implementation arrangements;
• Lead consultations to identify, select and compile profile for target landscapes through desk top studies as well as field-based research and stakeholder consultations, to cover information such as: (i) an analysis of threats to biodiversity in the priority landscapes; (ii) policy, social, regulatory, socio economic, institutional, technical and knowledge barriers to establishment of the ecological linkages and effective management of the landscapes; (iii) the developmental context (key business sectors, socio-economic development, political environment) and its current and future impacts on the biodiversity conservation in the landscapes; (iv) the government and partners’ baseline activities, as well as complementary activities by various partner organisations; (v) the spatial distribution, and conservation status of permanent reserved forests and protected areas; (v) the spatial extent of the proposed priority landscapes, using and developing as appropriate satellite images and maps; (vi) conservation and economic development plans, projects, programmes and initiatives affecting or impacting on the proposed project activities;
• Work closely with the other consultants and ensure the soundness and appropriateness of the interventions based on the real issues on the ground.

The Consultant will carry out the above mentioned reviews and identification of gaps on a state-by-state basis and in a systematic manner to draw out best practices and highlight weaknesses in a comparative manner between the states. He/ she would also look at overall national provisions and assess their adequacy and provide solutions at Central Government level that will empower the individual states.

Competencies

Functional Competencies : 

• Specialist knowledge and experience in conservation and development in snow leopard territories and range states;
• Excellent technical writing skills;
• Strong coordination and relationship management skills.

Corporate Competencies 

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Post Graduate degree in economics, agriculture development, natural sciences, environmental studies or wildlife sciences.

Experience:

• Excellent knowledge and minimum 10 years of demonstrable experience in the field of biodiversity conservation and natural resource management;
• Experience in project design of GEF projects is desirable.

Language:

• Written and oral proficiency in English is required;
• Knowledge of Hindi along with regional languages of the project states will be desirable.

Payment Terms:

• 20% upon approval of the technical approach and work plan for the assignment;
• 40% upon submission of key inputs related to Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management for the preparation of the skeleton Project Document to the International Consultant;
• 20% upon submission of Progress update report;
• 20% upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of the deliverables by UNDP RTA, UNDP India CO, and International Consultant and submission of Final Report;

Documents to be submitted:

• Financial Proposal specifying all-inclusive per day consultancy fee. Prior approved travel expenses will be reimbursed as per actuals in line with UNDP rules or arrangements would be done by UNDP.
• Detailed CV with contact details of three references;
• A brief (not more than 3 pages) technical proposal that includes a write up on the way forward for preparing this Project Document focusing on sustainable livelihoods, community resilience and conservation of globally significant biodiversity in the high range Indian Himalayas. The documents should be referenced appropriately and a select bibliography provided with the proposal.

 For any clarification please write to  ic.india@undp.org