Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) baseline survey Specialist

Organizational Setting

The GEF-funded project, Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity: Strengthening Azerbaijan’s system of protected areas through improved governance and management is being executed by the FAO and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR).

This GEF-funded project will contribute to strengthening the planning and management capacity of the system of Specially Protected Natural Areas (SPNAs) in Azerbaijan, with a strategic focus on delivering project support to: (i) enhancing the financial sustainability of SPNAs; (ii) building more effective information management systems for SPNAs; (iii) ensuring more sustainable land management practices in the areas directly adjacent to SPNAs; and (iv) integrating SPNAs into broader, landscape-scale conservation initiatives. The project will spatially focus this planning and management capacity support in two SPNAs – Shirvan National Park (SNP) and Hirkan National Park (HNP) – and their park-adjacent communities.

Reporting Lines

The Specialist reports to Assistant FAO Representative in Azerbaijan (AFAOR)

Technical Focus

A Project Management Unit (PMU) has been constituted to oversee the day-to-day implementation of the project. The operational core of this PMU comprises an International Team Leader (ITL), a National Team Leader (NTL), a Project Assistant (PA), and two Technical Field Officers (TFOs) – one located in SNP, and one located in HNP. The PMU is, in turn, contracting a range of service providers and/or entering into management agreements with partnering institutions to implement the different outputs and activities under the project. Under Output 1.1.3 of the project, the PMU now seeks to contract a KAP survey specialist to conduct a survey of a subset of the population residing in the villages located within, and immediately adjacent to, HNP and SNP to assess their knowledge of, and attitudes and practices towards land management and use in and around of their proximate national park.

The survey will focus specifically on collecting information on: • Knowledge of the values of the national park, and attitudes towards the management that is needed to maintain those park values • Different land use practices occurring in and around the park, and the impacts of these practices • Preferences for building collaborative and cooperative relationships between the park and local communities The survey will need to target a representative sample of at least 200 respondents from the villages located in, and immediately adjacent to, HNP and 150 respondents from the villages located immediately adjacent to SNP .

The results of the survey will be used to inform the project’s community communications to be implemented in and around HNP and SNP. The survey results will also provide the baseline for the project start-up phase and will need to be repeated at the end of the project to evaluate the change in awareness, attitudes, and perceptions of the parks as a result of project activities.

The KAP survey will be designed and conducted under the technical guidance of the ITL and NTL, and in close collaboration with the other PMU staff and the MENR.

Tasks and responsibilities

• In consultation with the PMU, develop the KAP baseline survey methodology. • In consultation with the PMU, develop a structured questionnaire – comprising closed- and open-ended questions - to collect data for four thematic areas: (i) Respondent data (to contextualize the responses); (ii) Knowledge assessment (to determine the level of knowledge of the respondents about the national park); (iii) Attitudes assessment (to determine the attitude of the respondents to the national park); and (iv) Practices assessment (to identify the current practices conducted by the respondent and other stakeholders in and around the national park). Questions must be kept simple and focused and questions deemed ‘leading’ must be avoided. The questionnaire must be pre-tested in the field, with the support of the PMU, to ensure that it is useful and understandable. • With guidance from the MENR and affected municipal authorities, select a representative sample - by age, sex, education, occupation and socio-economic background - of targeted respondents for the KAP baseline survey in from the villages within HNP and the villages immediately adjacent to HNP and SNP. • Administer the questionnaire through face-to-face interviews with the targeted respondents, using a convenience sampling frame. • Collate the interview data into a spreadsheet software programme (such as Microsoft Excel) for analysis. Open-ended questions should be coded to arrive at clusters to tabulate percentage responses. • Analyse the interview data, primarily through frequency tables and cross-tabulations, to filter and summarise the required information for presentation and discussion. • Present the preliminary results of the KAP survey, and it’s findings, to the PMU and the Department for Biodiversity Conservation and Development of Specially Protected Areas in the MENR • Prepare a final report documenting the main findings from the KAP survey and recommendations on the implementation of the project’s communications strategy.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in environmental management, social sciences and/or statistics (or similar) from an accredited academic institution. • 10 years of experience in the design of KAP questionnaires and the administration of KAP (or similar) surveys. • Fluent in Azerbaijani, with a working knowledge of English. • National or Resident of Azerbaijan.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrable knowledge of KAP (or similar) survey work undertaken in the natural resources, sustainable land management and/or agricultural and forestry sectors.