UNDP Jobs - 13522- Consultant: Biodiversity Sustainable Use Internati

Consultant: Biodiversity Sustainable Use International Specialist - Preparation of a GEF Project

Location :

Cotonou, with travel to the field, BENIN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

04-Jan-2010

Application Deadline :

30-Nov-09 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Jan – May 2010

Languages Required :

English French

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Approximately 8 weeks (with two missions to Benin, complemented by home-based work)

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The GEF has approved a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) for Benin in order to produce a Request for GEF CEO Approval and a UNDP Project Document (both using the appropriate templates) under the guidance of UNDP-EEG (RCU and Benin CO) and working in close collaboration with key government officials, donors, NGOs, CBOs and the private sector.

The project, budgeted for $950,000 in GEF funding and $4,070,000 in co-financing to be mobilized, will conserve globally important biodiversity in Benin by promoting the sustainable use of Benin’s Sacred Forests as a network of community-managed areas incorporated into the national system of protected areas. This process will significantly contribute to the expansion and strengthening of the national PA system. This will be achieved through the following three components:

Institutionalisation of Sacred Forests as PA categories
Piloting participatory community management plans for Sacred Forests
Engineering sustainable uses of wild resources

The PPG process is to be implemented between January and May 2010 and will focus on the activities necessary for approving and finalizing the proposed project. The focal points for the project in government and the PPG team of consultants will work in collaboration with existing related initiatives to carry out the following activities:

PPG Activity 1: Baseline data collection and information gap analysis:

Survey and mapping of sacred forests
Sacred forests assessment
Sites selection
Analysis of baseline initiatives and potential partnerships
Sacred forests knowledge repository database
Biodiversity monitoring system
Baseline for engineering of sustainable use of NTFP

PPG Activity 2:Capacity assessment for management of sacred forests

Analysis of existing legal and regulatory framework to determine gaps in Sacred Forests and PAs legislation
Assessment of the current institutional framework for sacred forests management
Assessment of the capacity of the local committees, villages cooperatives and other stakeholders
Assessment of financial requirements for sustainable community management
Use Capacity Development and Financial Sustainability Scorecards to measure CSO capacity

PPG Activity 3 : Stakeholder consultation and engagement

PPG inception workshop
Detailed stakeholder analysis
Identify Stakeholder involvement and capacity building plan
Open dialog between stakeholders/ sacred forests communities and visiting populations
Recommendations for areas of stakeholder involvement and partnership agreements
Agreement on the list of sacred forest that will be retain as project sites

PPG Activity 4: Project costing and M&E planning

Contracting of consultants team
Costing of project outcomes and outputs including co-financing commitments
Adaptive management and replication strategy
Define local and national and global environmental benefits
Determine most effective project alternatives
Identify social institution, economic and financial sustainability
Project Development Workshop
Prepare a project monitoring and evaluation plan including baseline level indicators and targets

Duties and Responsibilities

Encompassing approximately 8 weeks of work throughout the duration of the PPG the Biodiversity Sustainable Use Specialist will complete two missions to Benin complemented by support from home base. The International Specialist will function as the international team leader and will play a pivotal role in the task of scoping and preparing the GEF project (i.e. the actual editing of the document) for submission in collaboration with the UNDP/GEF Regional Technical Advisor, the UNDP Country Office Environment Focal Point and the team of national consultants.

More specifically, the specialist will be responsible for the following tasks:

Be primarily responsible for the writing process of the PRODOC and CEO Approval Request
Guide other PPG consultants and NGO partners in collecting baseline data and engaging stakeholders around the project proposal, participating in relevant consultation processes and commenting on reports and other products;
Play a key role in designing the Sacred Forests Survey and Assessment
In collaboration with other PPG consultants, contribute to the design of the TOR for developing the supply-value chain for traditional medicine, NTFP and other relevant products from Sacred Forests (to be put into practice during the MSP implementation) and estimate the market value of products linked to the management of Sacred Forests. This will necessarily include determining trends in demand for traditional medicine, NTFP and other relevant products from Sacred Forests and their consequences for current forest management practices
Analyze and inventory relevant data from current and past projects to aid research work during the current project (together with the national stakeholder expert) towards the completion of the incremental cost analysis/assessment;
Review existing datasets on the ecological status of a Sacred Forests and select a minimum of 30 Sacred Forests for inclusion in the MP;
Design the TOR for the biodiversity monitoring system specifically tailored to the needs of Sacred Forest conservation and community management including the provision of baseline data for the targeted sites, corridors and buffer zones;
Assess, based on existing studies, long term climate change planning to be carried out under the project;
Summarize proposals for the institutional framework for the management of Sacred Forests, in collaboration with the remainder team members;
The GEF4 PA Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), the UNDP Capacity Development Scorecard and the UNDP PA Financial Sustainability Scorecard will be completed to establish a framework for measuring capacity and financial performance in community management of the selected Sacred Forests and related buffer zones.

Deliverables

Specific Deliverables from the Protected Areas Specialist, for which he/she will have lead responsibility, will be a UNDP Project Document and a GEF CEO Endorsement Template, approved by the relevant agencies, and including (but not limited to) the following components:

Detailed descriptions of project outcomes, outputs and activities, with deliverables, timing, costs, and responsibilities
Overall project budget(s), in required formats
Detailed analysis on the barriers to achieving effective management of protected areas in Seychelles, and the root causes for threats to biodiversity, both without and within protected areas
Summary of local, national and global biodiversity benefits of project
Adaptive Management plan, including potential lessons and knowledge products
Replication plan to sustain interventions post-project
Analysis of project risks and corresponding mitigation measures
Cost effectiveness analysis to identify the most effective project alternatives
Analysis of social, institutional, economic and financial sustainability of proposed project
Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Incremental Cost Analysis
Recommendations (including costs and proposed timing) for capacity building activities during the Full Project
Implementation arrangements for the Medium-Size Project

The contract will include 40 working days. Any number of days worked beyond this amount will not be remunerated without previous written agreement from the UNDP Country Office.

Competencies

Ability to work well in a multidisciplinary team
Ability to effectively communicate complex, technical information to technical and general audiences
Skill in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others;
Skill in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise

Required Skills and Experience

Extensive knowledge of Biodiversity sustainable use issues, including legal and policy frameworks, Sacred Forests management effectiveness (including community involvement and capacity issues), Sacred Forests planning (including business planning) and ecological monitoring systems for PAs
Extensive knowledge of implementing and evaluating community-based and private sector based tourism and alternate income projects within and around Sacred Forests
Previous experience with GEF development projects is an important qualification for this position
Hold an advanced degree in a relevant field for conservation work (either with ecological, socio-economic or alternative livelihoods background) with consistent professional specialization in issues of PAs
Have at least 5 years of proven experience in the mentioned field; and
Demonstrated track record of relevant production in the mentioned area (publications, project proposals, reports)
Mastery of oral and written English is a requirement
Working knowledge of French is a plus