UNDP Jobs - 63577- National Consultant - Participatory Natural Resour

National Consultant - Participatory Natural Resource Management and Livelihoods - (Open to Indian Nationals Only)

Location :

Home Based with Mission to Project States, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Mar-2016

Application Deadline :

17-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Approx. 50 working days spread over eight months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

UNDP would like to engage an experienced consultant, who has a strong background in biodiversity conservation and community-based natural resource management and can effectively contribute to the development of a Full Sized Project by designing key project interventions with regard to social structure in the field, governing customary laws, and local stakeholders’ responsibilities pertaining to natural resources and wildlife 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 consists 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 a 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 - 50 days between March 2016 and October 2016;
Travel Requirement - Missions to the project states, India;
Assignment Objectives - Identification of social structure in the field and governing customary laws, local stakeholders’ responsibilities pertaining to natural resources and wildlife management, potential roles in the project and their capacity needs for fulfilling the roles.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will report to the environment team of UNDP Country Office, Regional Technical Adviser in Bangkok, and the Wildlife Division, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. He/she will work closely with other staff in the UNDP Country Office and government counterparts.

The Consultant will carry out a socio-economic survey and stakeholder analysis for selected target areas and sites. He/ she will collect and collate existing data and develop a baseline. Also, he/ she will identify gaps in baselines to commission studies in the future. He/ she will conduct an in-depth assessment of the socio-economic data in the selected landscapes. The assessment will elucidate the socio-economic outcomes (both positive and negative) of project interventions. The socio-economic outcomes should also take into account the impact of enhanced illegal wildlife trade management and suggest alternatives for the involved communities.

For the demonstration landscapes, a detailed assessment of local socio-economic context and local stakeholders will be conducted with particular focus on local and tribal communities. The assessment should define the profile and number of local stakeholders and beneficiaries, and potential benefits which the project can bring about. The assessment should identify existing institutional structures in the field. The Consultant should also identify customary laws and social practices governing conservation and management of natural and biological resources in the proposed project sites. He/ she should also identify local stakeholders’ responsibilities pertaining to natural resources and wildlife management and their potential roles in the project. He/ she will undertake capacity gap assessment for all local stakeholders. This will be done using UNDP’s Capacity Development tool and through a consultative process. The Consultant will also in the process explain about the proposed project to the stakeholders and seek their consent and participation in project development, implementation and monitoring.

In the consultation process, a gender analysis should also be incorporated to review their role in project development and implementation, including potential impacts of the project. A stakeholder involvement plan and gender mainstreaming plan will be developed, specifying community engagement through the 3 project components.

In particular the Consultant will:

identify community stakeholders and their responsibilities pertaining to land and forest resource management in the target landscapes;
assess socioeconomic situations in the surrounding and take stock of the past and ongoing benefit sharing activities and compile lessons learned for use in project development;
compile information on the target communities and identify potential opportunities for linking with the project intervention, including identification and documentation of local customary practices and laws related to conservation of natural and biological resources, and good practices of community initiatives on natural resource management from across the project states;
assess communities’ roles in the project implementation and their capacity needs for fulfilling the roles through extensive consultation process;
identify opportunities for alternative livelihood/livelihood enhancement interventions in the target landscapes and develop a concrete plan for project support;
identify local products, including medicinal plants based, with maximum opportunity to generate premium returns for communities and provide strategies for their value addition, certification, branding and marketing;
identify markets at the local, regional, national and international level, including appropriate distribution locations and potential buyers;
map value chains, including related to medicinal plants, with relation to current and future volumes of trade;
assess services available and possible through existing cooperatives, government agencies, commercial banks and local markets for improved opportunities;
conduct a gender assessment reviewing the role of men and women in project development and implementation;
review potential impacts of the project on each gender group;
develop a methodology to gauge community perceptions towards forestry, wildlife and PAs in the target areas, and apply the survey to establish gender disaggregated baselines and targets for the project;
identify various community-based natural resource management approaches (CBNRM) being practiced in the Himalayan states and suggest site specific interventions to be introduced during the project period;
develop a comprehensive gender mainstreaming strategy for the project including recommendations on reporting better on gender outcomes of the project;
ensure local communities’ understanding and consent to the project, full participation in project development and implementation;
work closely with the other consultants and ensure the soundness and appropriateness of the interventions based on the real issues on the ground.

Final Product

Based on the above assessments, the Consultant will develop the following reports that will focus on both national and state level perspectives:

Target communities and potential opportunities for linking with the project intervention;
Opportunities for alternative livelihood/livelihood enhancement interventions in the target landscapes and develop a concrete plan for project support;
A methodology for a survey of community attitudes towards forestry, wildlife and PAs in the target areas;
Baselines and targets of the projects with gender disaggregation resulting from the survey;
A full community participation plan;
Community-based natural resource management approaches (CBNRM) being practiced in the Himalayan states and site specific interventions to be introduced during the project period;
A comprehensive gender mainstreaming strategy for the project including recommendations on reporting better on gender outcomes of the project.

The key deliverables will need to be cleared by UNDP Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) for Biodiversity and Ecosystem, UNDP India Country Office (CO) and the International Consultant.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Excellent technical writing skills in English.

Core Competencies:

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

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Post-Graduation in economics, agricultural development, natural sciences, environmental studies or other related fields.

Experience:

Excellent knowledge and minimum 10 years of demonstrable experience in the field of socio-economics and community-based natural resource management with experience in gender and equity issues;
Extensive knowledge and practical experience in promoting community approaches to biodiversity conservation and natural resource management;
Experience in project design, in particular of GEF projects.

Language:

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

Payment Schedule:

20% upon approval of the technical approach and work plan for the assignment;
40% upon submission of a report on opportunities for alternative livelihood/livelihood enhancement intervention in the target landscapes and a concrete plan for project support;
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.

Travel:

Consultants would be required to travel to the project states; where appropriate, he/ she should schedule the field missions along with the other Consultants (for relevant parts) as well as with the International Consultant;
All prior approved travel from New Delhi to the project states and field visits, including accommodation, will be reimbursed as per actuals in line with UNDP rules and regulations upon submission of supporting documents or will be arranged by UNDP. This does not include personal phone calls and internet usage, laundry, minibar and other personal expenses. These should not be included in the financial proposal;
UNDP does 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.

Evaluation Criteria:

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive;
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 marks:

Technical Proposal: 35 Marks;
Relevant Experience:25 Marks;
Qualification:10 Marks.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical marks) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial Criteria weight – 30 marks.

Documents to be submitted:

Financial Proposal specifying all-inclusive per day consultancy fee;
Detailed CV with contact details of three references;
A brief (not more than 3 pages) report on the prevailing community-based natural resource management practices and its pressures on the project landscape along with alternate livelihood/ livelihood enhancement interventions. The document should be referenced appropriately and a select bibliography provided with the proposal.

All the above requested documents should be combined in a single PDF document while uploading, as the system has provision for uploading one attachment only.

Notes:

Individuals working with institutions may also apply, contract would be issued in the name of institution for the specific services of individual;
Please note proposals without financial proposal will not be considered;
Any kind of miscellaneous charges i.e. internet, phone etc. would not be reimbursed; Tickets will be issued considering the most direct and economical option and Consultants are not eligible for DSA;
The consultants must bring his/her own computing equipment;

For any clarifications please write to : manikandan.srinivasan@undp.org