Background

Context and background

A project proposal concept has recently been prepared for GEF for an allocation of USD $3.9 million for the implementation of a project to support the Government of Seychelles in a ridge-to-reef style project focusing on managing land-based threats to coastal and marine ecosystems.  Final clearance of the proposal concept is expected in December 2017.

The project will undertake a comprehensive Ridge to Reef  (R2R) approach that addresses the ‘whole island’ priorities of improved management and conservation of upland forest and agricultural ecosystems as well as coastal and marine ecosystems in the Seychelles to produce global benefits in terms of conservation of globally significant biodiversity and the effective management of the large marine ecosystems (including coastal and near-shore marine ecosystems), and to arrest and reverse ecosystem degradation. This approach acknowledges and actively incorporates the issues of scale, proximity and interconnectedness of environmental systems on SIDS, and utilises the multi-focal area approach to provide ‘joined up’ solutions for sustainable development. By addressing a range of terrestrial threats to the marine environment, including flows of pollutants, nutrients and sediment, disrupted hydrological services, degradation of critical habitat, etc. that have significant negative impacts on important coastal/marine ecosystems including wetlands, mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs, the project will simultaneously improve the management of the terrestrial landscape, improve the effectiveness of integrated coastal management practices and secure the integrity of existing and new marine protected areas in the Seychelles, which are vital components of, and effective management tools to conserve, the Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems. At the policy and strategic level, the project will unite the three most important spatial and resource planning processes in the country (which provide the baseline to this project), namely the Marine Spatial Plan (for the seascape), the Seychelles Strategic Plan (for the landscape, most notably the ‘Green Spine’ on Mahé and other upland forest areas in the Inner Islands), and the Land Use Plans (which embrace integrated coastal management principles and act as the most suitable vehicle to engage District Authorities and local communities in the implementation of these strategic plans). The project will build on these baseline activities by providing strategic incremental funding to implement priority actions in each of the plans.

The main stakeholders for the project are the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (MEECC), Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA), Seychelles Agricultural Agency (SAA), Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), University of Seychelles (UNISEY), environmental NGOs and community groups, such as farmers’ groups and watershed management committees.

A forestry/agroforestry expert is required to assist in the preparation of the full project document, focusing on the development and detailing of protected forest, sustainable use forest and agroforestry interventions to be included within the Project Document.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The development of the forestry sector has been defined as a priority for the GEF6 funding cycle in Seychelles. The PPG phase will support various data collection efforts, analysis and strategic planning to clarify the current capacity of institutions with responsibilities in forest and agroforestry management, to identify target areas for project interventions, to identify and design appropriate interventions, and to undertake stakeholder consultations to determine the best means of stakeholder engagement in the activities of the proposed full-size project, particularly community level engagement.

Duties and Responsibilities

The international Forestry/Agroforestry expert will support the International Lead Expert and the National Coordinator, and liaise with other national consultants (notable the Agronomist), in the following specific activities:

• Review the capacity of the relevant forestry and agroforestry management institutions in Seychelles (within Department of Environment, Seychelles National Parks Authority, Seychelles Agriculture Agency), with a focus on the capacities of institutions to implement the proposed project activities (with reference to a detailed stakeholder capacity assessment undertaken as part of the PPG), and including recommendations for capacity strengthening to be undertaken during the Full Project.
• Review the capacity of institutions responsible for fire prevention and response (Seychelles Fire and Rescue Service, community fire prevention and fire-fighting groups) and propose technical approaches to post-fire forest rehabilitation and long-term monitoring of forest recovery in areas where rehabilitation of burned forest is undertaken.
• Review current forestry and agroforestry practices.  Pay particular attention to recent pilot agroforestry interventions funded by FAO and implemented by SAA.
• Assess the current donor environment for forestry and agroforestry interventions to ensure the activities of the project are synergistic with other planned interventions (notably a proposed AfDB loan to the Agriculture sector) and propose strategies for collaboration with other programmes/projects.
• Assess the potential for forest land zoning and management, including such strategic issues as extension of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) as protected areas (e.g. extensions to the Morne Seychellois National Park) or sustainable use zones (Forest Reserves), how the project may support the ‘Green Spine’ approach under the Seychelles Strategic Plan, the proposed new protected area from extending from Montagne Corail to Grand Police, etc.
• Propose biodiversity-friendly sustainable forest management practices that could be applied under the project to high biodiversity areas and other areas, including IAS control measures.
• Propose forest rehabilitation measures to be supported under the project, including tree nursery development and tree planting strategies / procedures (with reference to initiatives already underway through e.g. EBA projects).
• In collaboration with the project Agronomist, propose agroforestry measures to be supported under the project that encompass maintenance or enhancement of biodiversity values alongside addressing sustainable land management and pollution/sedimentation issues.
• In liaison with the project Agronomist and with the UNDP Small Grants Programme and other stakeholders, such as EBA projects, determine the extent to which farmers and farmers’ associations, or other community groups such as watershed management committees, could be engaged in implementing project activities related to soil conservation and fertility management, pest management and agro-forestry. Propose capacity development measures that may be needed to achieve this, and any institutional or jurisdictional barriers that might hamper this.

Timeline and Deliverables and Payment Schedule

The Total Duration of the assignment is 30 working days spread over 2.5 months.  The expected date of Contract is 1st March 2018.

Deliverables: Submission of inception report;
Timeline: March 2018;
Payment Schedule: 20%.

Deliverables: Field mission: analysis of institutional capacity, donor environment, strategic issues, interventions that may be applied, etc.;   
Timeline: April 2018.

Deliverables: Prepare a first draft report with suggested forest management, forest rehabilitation and agroforestry activities in a format that can be easily integrated into the project document;
Timeline: Early May 2018;
Payment Schedule: 20%.

Deliverables: Final report submission to UNDP/GEF;
Timeline: End May 2018;
Payment Schedule: 60%.

Competencies

• Ability to build strong relationships with national consultants and stakeholders, to focus on impact and results for the client, to respond positively to critical feedback, and a consensus-oriented approach to work.
• Highly developed inter-personal, negotiation and teamwork skills, and a networking aptitude.
• Fully computer literate.
• Excellent English writing and communication skills.
• Ability to work in complex, multi-stake-holder project environments.
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Required skills and experience

The minimum key skills and expertise of the consultant shall cover the following:

Education

• Minimum postgraduate degree in Forestry, Agroforestry or a related subject.

Experience

• At least 10 years’ international experience in sustainable forest management and agroforestry projects.
• Specific experience in institutional capacity assessment of forestry and agroforestry institutions is required.
• Specific expertise in the context of Small Island Development States (SIDS) is preferred; regional (Western Indian Ocean) and national (Seychelles) experience is highly desirable.
• Proven past experience in UNDP-GEF project formulation/design is an advantage.
• Ability to conduct research and analysis, with strong synthesis skills.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.

Scope of Price Proposal

A financial proposal has to be submitted by offerors which specifies:

• Daily Fee. The Daily fee should be all inclusive1. The term “All inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. For information only, the UN Daily Subsistence Allowance at the duty station is 303 USD as of November 2017.
• An IC Time Sheet must be submitted by the Contractor, duly approved by the Individual Contractor’s supervisor, which shall serve as the basis for the payment of fees (as per template).

Application process

Individual consultants are invited to submit applications on UNDP jobsite system as per requirements below. Applications that do not include all of these elements will not be considered.

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
• Financial Proposal supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  

Evaluation Criteria

All Applicants will be requested to submit a price offer indicating their proposed daily fee rate for the assignment. Following UNDP procurement rules, both technical competence (70%) and the consultant daily fee rate (30%) will be taken into account in the selection process.  The Technical Evaluation will be based on the following Evaluation Criteria.

• Minimum postgraduate degree in Forestry, Agroforestry, or a related subject: 20 Marks;
• At least 10 years’ international experience in sustainable forest management and agroforestry projects: 20 Marks;
• Specific experience in institutional capacity assessment of forestry and agroforestry institutions: 20 Marks;
• Specific expertise in the context of SIDS; regional (Western Indian Ocean) and national (Seychelles) experience: 20 Marks;
• Ability to conduct research and analysis, with strong synthesis skills: 10 Marks;
• Proven past experience in UNDP-GEF project formulation/ design: 10 Marks;
• Total: 100 Marks.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 marks out of 100 would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Qualified women and members of social minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Important Note:

• Interested offeror is strongly advised to read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice/TOR, which can be viewed at http://www.mu.undp.org/content/mauritius_and_seychelles/en/home/operations/procurement/
• For more detail about term of references,general terms and conditions of IC and templates to be included when submitting offer;
• Interested offerors above the age of 62 and requiring travelling: UNDP regulations require, at their own cost, to undergo a full medical examination including x-rays. Medical evaluation documentation does not need to be submitted with the other requested documents listed above, but will be requested should the candidate be chosen;
• Interested offeror is required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system, because the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system;
• Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary.