Background
- Valuating, to the extent possible, the ecosystem goods and services of the ‘Ezerani’ protected area in accordance to the latest state-of-the-art approaches and international environmental valuation best practices;
- Supporting the process of management planning by justifying / or not the protection / restoration measures proposed in the revalorization study, and providing information on the next steps required for creating new opportunities for better valuation of the ecosystem (e.g. recommendations on data collection, appropriate assessment methods, and other);
- Providing training to the key stakeholders to ensure that the best economic valuation approaches are applied in the future management of the protected area;
- Providing recommendations on possible revenue generating options from the potential / actual beneficiaries of the ecosystem goods and services;
Duties and Responsibilities
- Review thoroughly the revalorization study for ‘Ezerani’ protected area, to understand the local context, and to assess the availability of the data necessary for preparation of the EVR (the full study can be downloaded at: http://prespa.iwlearn.org/resources/other-materials/draft-feasibility-study-for-ezerani);
- Study the country context in regard to protected areas management, as well as the latest progress in environmental valuation, payment for ecosystem services and protected areas financing made within the UNDP/GEF project ‘Strengthening the Ecological, Institutional andFinancial Sustainability of Macedonia's National Protected Areas System’ (the following reports will be made available by UNDP: ‘Economic Valuation of Protected Areas: Options for Macedonia’, ‘Payment for Ecosystem Services: Options for Macedonia; ‘Protected Areas Financing: Options for Macedonia);
Prepare a preliminary report based on the review of the available documentation, with a focus on the following:
- Analysis of availability of data necessary for preparing the EVR
- Selection / prioritization of the goods and services to be valued (based on the management aims, data accessibility, and possibilities for conducting supplementary data collection mindful of the constraints in time).
- Selection of appropriate valuation techniques
- Specification of the data needs for valuation, along with analysis of likely sources of data, including field surveys
- Recommendations on the data collection and analysis: for the data to be additionally collected for the needs of the EVR, the expert will provide recommendations on the approaches/methods of collections and analysis.
- Upon completion of the tasks specified under Phase I, and prior to receiving the input from the supplementary data collection process, visit the Prespa region and the ‘Ezerani’ protected area;
- Take part in meetings with the stakeholders to discuss the next steps of the EVR preparation process, provide guidance on the possible data collection exercise, agree on the training topics to be covered and other issues (special meetings will be organized with the expert team that prepared the revalorization study, as well as the expert responsible for drafting the management plan);
- Give 2 – 3 days introductory training on the basics of economic valuation of ecosystems and its use in protection / restoration of ecosystems and operation of protected areas. The training will also be used as an opportunity to involve all relevant stakeholders in the process of preparing the EVR (the specifics of the training to be previously agreed with the UNDP/GEF project);
- Provide recommendations on next steps / actions to be included in the management plan for ‘Ezerani’, or other planning documentation (e.g. in terms of data collection and analysis), to enable better future application of the demonstrated valuation approach.
- A preliminary report setting out the process for preparation of EVR, based on the review of the existing documentation;
- Economic Valuation Report for ‘Ezerani’ protected area;
- A short report on the economic value of the ‘Ezerani’ ecosystem, prepared in simple and plain language, to be used for public information purposes;
- Presentations and training materials to be used during the training workshop(s).
Competencies
- Excellent communications and facilitation skills and excellent analytical skills.
- Excellent public speaking and presentation skills.
Required Skills and Experience
- Advanced university degree (minimum M.Sc.) in relevant area (Environmental Economics, Natural Resources Economics, Protected Areas Management, Natural Resources Management or similar). PhD will be considered an asset;
- Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience (preparation of environmental valuation reports / studies, participation in projects involving protected areas valuation);
- Record of participation in at least 7 successfully completed relevant assignments (environmental valuation reports / studies), in 2 of which s/he would have a leading role;
- Previous experience in relevant assignments in the Balkans will be considered an asset.
- The assignment needs to be completed in a period of up to 4 months upon signing of contract.
- The consultant will report to UNDP through the UNDP/GEF Prespa project office. The whole documentation needs to be submitted in English language.
- Logistical support throughout the implementation of the assignment will be provided by the UNDP/GEF Prespa project, and the staff of the Natural Capital Resources Center. Support will be provided not only in organizing various meetings and trainings, but also in the field work, carrying out surveys, and other data collection exercises.
- The interested experts need to submit a short methodology describing the approach and steps they plan to undertake to successfully complete the assignment.
- United Nations Personnel History form (P-11) () (CV of the Consultant)
- Brief methodology and approach on how the assignment will be carried out including detailed timetable of the proposed activities;
- Financial offer in USD expressed as daily fee per expert-day (USD/expert day); The offer submitted should only include the consultancy, as the other costs, which may occur in the course of the assignment (the travel related costs), will be reimbursed by UNDP in accordance with the applicable UNDP procedures
Reference list of similar work/projects and contact details of the clients.
Criteria | Weight | Max. Point |
Technical | 70% | 70 |
· Advanced university degree (minimum M.Sc.) in relevant area (Environmental Economics, Natural Resources Economics, Protected Areas Management, Natural Resources Management or similar). PhD will be considered an asset; | 10% | 10 |
· Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience (preparation of environmental valuation reports / studies, projects i involving protected areas valuation); | 20% | 20 |
· Record of participation in at least 7 successfully completed relevant assignments (environmental valuation reports / studies), in 2 of which s/he would have a leading role; | 15% | 15 |
· Previous experience in relevant assignments in the Balkans will be considered an asset | 10% | 10 |
· Methodology | 15% | 15 |
Financial | 30% | 30 |
MILESTONE | Percentage (%) |
Upon submission of preliminary report | 30 |
Upon submission of the draft EVR | 40 |
Upon submission of final EVR | 30 |
Total: | 100 |