National Expert on the development of practical recommendations for the use of the Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanism in the practice of the forestry sector

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Wednesday 3 Nov 2021 at 23:59 UTC

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Background

The following documents in PDF to be attached to the Offer (maximum size 19 Mb per one e-mail transmission) and should be sent to procurement.kz@undp.org with indication of Ref. IC-2021-148 in the e-mail subject not later 12 PM (Nur-Sultan time, GMT+6) of 20th October 2021:

  1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP (Annex 3);
  2. Personal detailed CV, indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate;
  3. Financial Proposal (Annex 4) that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP;
  4. Other documents certifying experience, knowledge, and skills (certificates of continuing education/diplomas, awards, etc.);
  5. Brief essay 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 proposals which are not password protected will be rejected automatically.

Incomplete proposals will be rejected automatically. ONLY fully submitted applications would be considered for evaluation.

Project Description

a) Project Information:

Since 2018, a 5-year Project of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNDP-GEF "Conservation and Sustainable Management of Key Globally Important Ecosystems for Multiple Benefits" (hereinafter referred to as the Project) has been implemented in Kazakhstan. The Project strategy is to comprehensively address the issues of conservation and sustainable use of the forest ecosystems in Kazakhstan by improving management approaches both within the system of designated protected areas (PA) and in the adjacent landscapes for the sustainable use of the high conservation value forests (HCVF). The Project includes three main components:

Component 1: Increase representativity of globally important biodiversity of the forest ecosystems in the PA system and improve the efficiency of PA management; Component 2: Stimulate the integration of the forest protected areas into the landscape context by creating conditions for effective regulation and management of the globally significant ecosystems; Component 3: International cooperation and knowledge management. The sustainable forest management issue is addressed in all of the above components of the Project.

b) The Context and Purpose of the Services Required:

Forest ecosystems in Kazakhstan serve as a source of many important services for the population, such as: supplies (wood, fuel, fiber), regulation (erosion control, flood prevention, climate regulation, carbon sequestration and water purification), cultural services (sources of aesthetic values, recreational and

educational activities), life-support function (the cycle of nutrients and soil formation, preservation of various species and their habitat). On January 2, 2021, a new Environmental Code was adopted, which includes the ecosystem approach, the concept and mechanisms of payments for the ecosystem services.

Also in 2017, the concept of forest ecosystem services and mechanism for voluntary contributions for forest ecosystem services were included in the Forest Code. These provisions are aimed at strengthening ecosystem conservation partnerships between the government and the private sector and/or between private companies. Payments for ecosystem services refer to voluntary payments made by consumers of ecosystem services to providers of ecosystem services as a reward for certain actions or conditions provided by such providers as were required for such consumers to obtain benefits from ecosystem services. The PES mechanism used in various sectors, including in the forestry sector, has shown that it can be effectively applied in many countries of the world. Appraising the ecosystem services makes it possible assess current and future dependence of the public well-being on the quality of the natural environment. And such appraisals should afford the basis for management decision-making. For example, the assessment of the ecosystems made on the threshold of the millennium (2005) in Kazakhstan, revealed an increase in welfare by 10% and a decrease in natural wealth by 20%. Currently, only few PES practices are used in Kazakhstan, and they are designed for sustainable water resources management only. No PES practices at all have been developed for the forestry sector. At the same time, PES practices addressing forest management amid developing energy, agriculture, tourism sectors are essential for Kazakhstan in the context of the country's policy on sustainable green growth. The Project plans to test various mechanisms aimed at preserving forests, including PES. In this regard, the purpose of this work is to develop working guidelines for PES application in the forestry practices, taking into account the ecosystem services provisions set forth the Environmental Code and Forestry Code.

c) Stakeholders: Forestry and Wildlife Committee Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources (MEGNR) of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) is a state body and department operating within the competence of MEGNR, that is in charge of implementation, control and supervision of forestry, wildlife protection, reproduction and use, and specially protected natural areas; - Natural Resources and Environmental Management Departments are state bodies responsible for organizing and ensuring forest conservation, protection, reproduction and afforestation, regulation of forest use on the territory of the state forest fund within their functional jurisdiction; - State Forestry Institutions (forest conservation institutions) are organizations subordinate to the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Departments in charge of conservation, protection and use of the forest fund, forest reproduction and afforestation within the boundaries of the forest fund territory provided to them for permanent use.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Review forestry PES practices and schemes and prepare a brief analysis with the guidelines as to applicability and replication of such practices and schemes in Kazakhstan;
  2. Study ecosystem services of forest conservation institutions and the external environment (consumers of ecosystem services) of forest conservation institutions at field meetings in the project areas (East Kazakhstan and Almaty Regions), identify potential partners for the implementation of the PES schemes. If necessary, additionally conduct working discussions online; based on the results, prepare at least 5 potential PES schemes.
  3. Develop at least 2 PES schemes to be used by forest conservation institutions (as in the case of the Ridder forestry enterprise in the East Kazakhstan Region and the Uygur forestry enterprise in the Almaty Region); 4. Determine a legal framework for implementation of the PES schemes (by sectors) by forest conservation institutions, identify opportunities, gaps and barriers that may be faced while introducing the practice of voluntary payments for forest ecosystem services in the activities of such institutions;
  4. Develop step-by-step instructions for the implementation of the PES schemes with the participation of the forest conservation institutions;
  5. Make a presentation and discussion of the developed guidelines with the participation of all stakeholders (online). Based on the results of the presentation, finalize the guidelines (if necessary) based on the proposals received.
  6. Submit the final report on the work performed.

    For more detailed information, please refer to Terms of Reference (Annex 1).

Competencies

  • Higher Education in the field of Social studies, Economics;
  • Knowledge of the specifics of the institutional management of the environment, natural resources.
  • Knowledge of national laws on environmental protection;
  • Knowledge of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES);
  • Excellent knowledge of oral and written Russian.

Required Skills and Experience

  • At least 5-year experience in environmental protection;
  • Work experience with international organizations or participation in environmental projects;
  • Experience in preparing analytical reports. Strong skills in developing written presentations and reports;
Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org