Background

NOTE

Application procedure:

Application with a CV must be submitted online via this website. Please click on “Apply Now” Tab and complete required fields and upload CV. Please note that website accepts only one document therefore, if you would like to upload more than one document, please make sure to combine it into a single one.

Financial offer (for national consultants only in BAM) in a form of completed and Signed Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and availability - https://tinyurl.com/Offeror-Letter - Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.docx - to be sent to e-mail ba.shared.hr@undp.org with Subject: Job ID 110254. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its rich biological diversity, endemic species, habitats, and a series of relict ecosystems. Species diversity has the highest level of endemism in Europe.  Still, despite the country’s rich biodiversity, international obligations, and growing man-induced pressures, nature conservation efforts remain insufficient. Socioeconomic challenges, such as unemployment and poverty, forced governmental authorities to be focused on immediate economic priorities rather than environmental issues, including biodiversity. Thus, biodiversity conservation is not seen as a national priority yet.

The objective of the “Sustainability of Protected Areas in BiH” (SPA) project is to achieve practical improvement in the management of protected areas in BiH, providing for better biodiversity status through strengthened resilience of key biodiversity values to climate change impact and increased revenues to protected areas from ecotourism. The project is called to reduce the gap between the current capacities of protected areas (PAs) with their increasing vulnerability to emerging threats, on the one hand, and the growing need to preserve and sustainably maintain biological and ecosystem diversity, on the other. It is planned to provide incremental effort in assisting the protected area management with tools and instruments aimed at diversifying and improving the sustainable, nature-based tourism offering in targeted PAs and neighboring communities, thus providing for sustainable incremental income and a development option that will valorize the unique natural values without further threatening them. The SPA project will also link the PAs to the funding opportunities provided by the government grant programs for tourism development.

The SPA project has been financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is directly implemented by UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina Country Office.

The National Consultant – climate change adaptation expert for protected areas in the Federation of BiH will provide technical support for conducting the comprehensive climate threat assessment of the pilot PAs: National Park Una, Prokosko Lake Nature Monument, Vrelo Bosne Nature Monument, Blidinje Park of Nature and Vjetrenica Protected Landscape. Besides, the National Consultant – climate change adaptation expert for protected areas in Republika Srpska will be engaged to conduct comprehensive climate threat assessments for the following pilot PAs: National Park Sutjeska, National Park Kozara, National Park Drina, Una Park of Nature, and Orjen Park of Nature., with the aim to identify the key climate impacts on biodiversity within the PAs. Along with the International climate change adaptation expert and biodiversity experts, these two experts will develop climate threat response scenarios. 

The National Consultant will work under the project manager's overall guidance and direct supervision. With the support of the SPA project team, the National Consultant will ensure all necessary technical support needed to conduct a comprehensive climate threat assessment of the pilot PAs.

Duties and Responsibilities

 Climate change models for BiH predict that significant changes in precipitation levels will occur due to rising temperatures. This will have a strong effect on the distribution of plant species. Climate change is expected to significantly impact the flora of mountainous areas, resulting in the migration of certain tree species along the Dinarides, as well as a local reduction in the number of species. Despite the obvious risks, existing documents such as assessments, valorization, proclamation studies, management plans, etc. do not contain data about the climate changes impacts on certain ecosystems or species.

To achieve future PAs management being based on climate-smart principles, the initial step implies comprehensive climate threat assessments. Based on the baseline assessments, and with regard to the PAs’ management capacities, a comprehensive and detail climate threat assessment shall be conducted for the following PAs in FBiH:

• National Park Una,
• Prokosko Lake Nature Monument,
• Vrelo Bosne Nature Monument,
• Blidinje Park of Nature,
• Vjetrenica-Popovo polje Protected Landscape
   

The ultimate aims of climate threat assessments are to:

• Identify the key climate impacts on biodiversity within the PAs;
• Identify species and ecosystems that enable resilience and adaptation;
• Assess the synergies between a variety of threats;
• Conduct species and ecosystem climate vulnerability assessments;
• Assess the sensitivity of local communities to climate change; and
• Develop threat response scenarios.
   

Finally, climate threat assessments shall develop the methodology for conducting such types of assessments for all PAs in BiH. Besides, it will be a legally binding segment of future PAs’ management plans.
 

Furthermore, the climate threat assessment will take into account UNDP’s Social and Environmental standard requirements related to the susceptibility of project endeavors to climate and extreme climate conditions.
 

National Consultant – climate change adaptation expert for protected areas in FBiH will work in close collaboration with the National Consultant – climate change adaptation expert for protected areas in RS and the International Consultant – climate change adaptation expert in conducting the climate threat assessments of the involved PAs. Parallel to these activities, the SPA project shall engage a Service Provider for the development of management plans for the abovementioned pilot PAs. At the final stage, data collected through these two processes shall be assessed and combined with an aim to develop climate threat response scenarios and methodology for the inclusion of climate threat assessments in the future PAs’ management planning processes in BiH.
 

Specifically, National Consultant – climate change adaptation expert for protected areas in FBiH will be responsible for the following tasks:

a. In cooperation with the International Consultant and National consultant for protected areas in RS, conduct detailed climate threat assessments for selected PAs in FBiH, in line with IPCC climate scenarios RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5. This process shall be based on referent international databases and result in projections of future trends and scenarios. During this process, many open sources of information shall be considered, including available longitudinal historical data on climate, climate-related events, wildfires, floods, etc. In addition, the climate threat assessment shall also take into account the vulnerability and exposure of the local communities in the project area to a changing climate. Furthermore, for each PA, this process shall result with a list of data types that need to be collected and monitored so to be able to assure further M&E system is established in digital form. In the final stage, these findings will be cross-referenced with thorough assessments of PAs status (social and environmental) to come up with comprehensive climate threat scenarios and responses.
 

b. In cooperation with the International Consultant and Local consultant for protected areas in RS, provide climate-related inputs for the development of comprehensive climate threat scenarios and responses. As already emphasized, this will be a multi-sectoral process with the ultimate goal to introduce climate-related aspects in the PAs management planning process. For this purpose, the SPA project team is to establish a Working group consisting of International and National climate change adaptation experts, biodiversity and PAs management planning experts and representatives of Project Board institutions.
 

To achieve the abovementioned, the National Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the SPA Project Manager (who will approve and confirm the quality of outputs).
 

It is envisaged that the level of effort for these tasks will not exceed 60 expert days, including field visits to target PAs across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to the uncertain situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the final decision on planning the field visits will be made in line with official recommendations. If not possible to organize a field visit, the meetings will be organized on a remote basis. Nevertheless, the engaged consultant will have an obligation to prepare and submit field visit/meeting reports.

Deliverables/outputs

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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 favouritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Functional competencies:

• Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in a team
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback
• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education

MSc degree in natural sciences, biotechnical sciences, or another related field.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in the field of environmental and nature protection;
• Proven experience in data collection, data processing, and interpretation for at least 5 different projects in the field of environmental protection and climate change;
• Proven record of practical expertise related to the development of assessments, studies, and scientific reports related to climate change adaptation, experience from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina preferred;
• Demonstrated understanding of institutional and policy context in the field of climate change in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Proven experience in working with stakeholders relevant to climate change in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Prior work experience with UNDP/UN Agencies.

Languages Requirements

Knowledge of local languages and English (excellent writing, editing, and communication skills) 

Longlisting/Shortlisting Criteria

Qualifications as stated in the ToR

Technical Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation

Individual  will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the candidate whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight-70%

* Financial Criteria weight- 30%

Interested candidated must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• Personal CV/P11, including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

• For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
• Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.