Nutrient Management Specialist

Finance & Economy

Overview

Develop two case studies on Nutrient Management Valuation in Jamaica and Barbados

You have:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, environmental economics, agricultural science, environmental sciences, development studies or equivalent.
• A minimum of ten (10) years relevant work experience in the economic, environmental and/or agricultural management sectors.
• Demonstrated experience in proposal writing.
• In-depth familiarity with the target countries – Jamaica and Barbados – will be an asset.
• Familiarity with governance issues related to land-based sources of marine pollution.
• Proficiency in oral and written English is required; proficiency in French is an asset.

Result of Service Develop two case studies on Nutrient Management Valuation in Jamaica and Barbados as part of an Economic Valuation Pilot Project.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration 3.5 months

Duties and Responsibilities ORGANISATIONAL SETTING

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.

UN Environment Programme's Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat, within the framework of its Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities, is working to address the issue of nutrient pollution in the Wider Caribbean. In 2019, the Secretariat developed the region’s first State of the Convention Area report which showed that several sites in coastal waters throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystems had poor status with respect to selected water quality indicators, including nitrogen and phosphorus. Later in 2021, the Secretariat finalized a Regional Nutrient Pollution Reduction Strategy and Action Plan (RNPRSAP) which provides a framework for increasing collaboration and action to reduce the impacts of excess nutrient pollution on priority coastal and marine ecosystems in the region.

The issue of nutrient management has gradually gained prominence given the growing ecological and socio-economic impacts of nutrient use inefficiencies either related to excess nutrient loading to the environment, or nutrient depletion from productive landscapes. The nutrient challenge is therefore manifested in terms of either excess nutrient loading to the environment and associated degradation of fresh and coastal waters, air, soil, and ecosystems, or in terms of nutrient deficit, mainly in the context of agricultural systems that remove more nutrient than is being replaced, resulting in decline in soil productivity and eventual land degradation.

The UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat participates in the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM) that was established under the aegis of UNEP’s Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA). GPNM assists in the development of a coherent global policy and advocacy response to help address the nutrient challenge at local levels, as well as facilitate the exchange of information, good practices, and expertise to assist delivery of knowledge-based remedial action to countries.

Within the framework of an Economic Valuation Pilot Project financed by GPNM, the Secretariat is seeking a Consultant to develop two case studies on Nutrient Management Valuation in Jamaica and Barbados which are both Contracting Parties to the Cartagena Convention’s LBS Protocol. The analysis will support the Secretariat’s efforts to develop new regional quantitative discharge standards for nitrogen, and possibly also for phosphorus.

Specifically, the case studies should: a. investigate options for the improvement of nutrient use efficiency (NUE) (e.g. application of 4R Nutrient Stewardship Concepts), demonstrating social and economic benefits for health, environment, and the supply of food and energy; and b. quantify the multiple costs and benefits of meeting the nutrient management targets for food security, marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, mitigation of greenhouse gases and other climate threats, and improvement of human health as proposed in the Our Nutrient World (2013) report.

In considering options for nutrient use efficiency (NUE), particular focus should be on the following: 1. Existing in-country wastewater treatment technology; 2. Fertiliser manufacturing and usage by the major agricultural subsectors; 3. Phosphate additives in detergents - recognizing ongoing work at the national and regional levels to establish standards; and 4. Benchmarking the state of the local environments (soils and marine) for the pilot countries.

The outputs of the work are to principally target mid- to senior level policy makers within relevant government ministries including agriculture, environment, and planning, other local municipal stakeholders, such as local agricultural producers’ cooperatives and universities, and development-support agencies in the policy arena at the global level. The project will also identify potential business opportunities consistent with the options identified for the application of NUE, soil quality improvement and crop production.

It is proposed that the studies target agricultural (crop and livestock) systems and domestic wastewater management systems that consider potential nutrient recovery and recycling within the study locations. The approach, based on lessons learned from similar studies in developed regions of the world (e.g., within the European Union, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand), should be one that can be readily adapted by local policy planners to better qualify economic benefits that will help influence policy design in supporting agricultural development and improved wastewater management, while maintaining the quality of ecosystem services. The approach should also outline with clarity the limitations in applicability thereby identifying future research needs. The work will need to consider how it will serve countries in addressing relevant Sustainable Development Goal targets with a particular focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The studies should draw on the body of knowledge that was contributed by the Global Environment Facility Global Nutrient Cycling (GEF-GNC) Project and the Global Nutrient Management Toolkit, the work to develop the Regional Nutrient Pollution Reduction Strategy and similar work done in Brazil, and compile these into a seminal publication that will follow key publications, namely, the Building Foundations for Sustainable Nutrient Management (GPNM, 2010) and Our Nutrient Word (Sutton el al., 2013).

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Consultant is required to, inter-alia: - Review the assessment methods proposed in the Our Nutrient World report and other relevant publications (including those on wastewater) and consider the relevant approaches for application in this assignment; - In consultation with the LBS Protocol Focal Points for Jamaica and Barbados, identify the local geographic areas that best typify challenges with nutrient excess and nutrient deficit. - Develop a methodological approach for economic assessment of nutrient management in consultation with the Cartagena Convention Secretariat, LBS Regional Activity Centres, GPNM Steering Committee and other key GPNM partners (and the Global Wastewater Initiative) as relevant. - Derive estimates of benefits of improved nutrient management at the local level based on the geographical areas identified, to also consider: "Gender dimensions – economics of compromise of health; nutrient scarcity and food production, nutrient excess, and contamination of drinking waters, coastal waters"; and "Limitations and avenues for future work on the topic". - Assess the contribution of nutrients by sector/sources to support the valuation and related costs and benefits for nutrient management. - Present the methodology to the Cartagena Convention Secretariat and GPNM for review and inputs toward finalization. - Present the revised methodology along with the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat, UNEP/GPA and the GPNM to select audiences drawn from the target regions.

The Consultant will report to the UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat during the course of the assignment. In line with the objective of the consultancy, the assignment will result in a publishable Cartagena Convention Secretariat/GPNM/UNEP report.

Qualifications/special skills Skills: - Demonstrated experience in proposal writing. - In-depth familiarity of the target countries – Jamaica and Barbados – will be an asset. - Familiarity with governance issues and approaches related to the management of land-based sources of marine pollution, coastal and marine ecosystems management, and land degradation around nutrient management is an asset. Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, environmental economics, agricultural science, environmental sciences, development studies or equivalent. Experience: - A minimum of ten (10) years relevant work experience in the economic, environmental and/or agricultural management sectors. Previous experience with the United Nations system is desirable. - Experience working in Caribbean Small Island Developing States. - Work experience in agricultural development, environmental management, wastewater management and other pollution control issues is desirable. Language: English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, proficiency in oral and written English is required.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org