Project Midterm Review - National Consultant

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

While conservation efforts have been significantly up scaled in Mozambique since the end of the civil war in 1992, there are several threats affecting biodiversity. Significant increase in wildlife crime has taken place, adding to the pressures caused by uncontrolled subsistence hunting by poor communities. Since 2014 the poaching has increased, targeting not only elephants but additional threatened species, such as lions, pangolins and other. The international market for wildlife products is still of low risk and highly profitable. Subsistence poaching also threatens a wide variety of globally endangered species. With local communities expanding further into conservation areas and growing populations in need of food and income, the threats to wildlife and forest resources accelerate at alarming rates, nullifying conservation gains of recent years.

The proposed project Objective is to strengthen the conservation of globally threatened species in Mozambique through implementation of the Conservation Areas Act – improving biodiversity enforcement and expanding protected areas through community conservancies and targeted rural development action.

This are Terms of Reference for the UNDP-GEF Midterm Review (MTR) of the full -sized project with the title: “Strengthening the conservation of globally threatened species in Mozambique through improving biodiversity enforcement and expanding community conservancies around protected areas”- (PIMS5474#), implemented through an Executing Agency, the National Administration for Conservancy Areas (ANAC), and the following Implementing Partners: Carr Foundation for Gorongosa Restoration Project (GRP) and Wildlife Conservation Society for Niassa Special Reserve (WCS_NSR). The project started on March 2018 and is in its third year of implementation. This ToR sets out the expectations for this MTR. The MTR process follows the guidance outlined in the document Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects).

The project was designed to strengthen the conservation of globally threatened species in Mozambique through implementation of the Conservation Areas Act – improving biodiversity enforcement and expanding protected areas through community conservancies and targeted rural development action.

The project Objective will be achieved through implementation of three project Components that address three key barriers for effective reduction of poaching, IWT and unsustainable natural resource management.

Duties and Responsibilities

The MTR report must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful.

The MTR team will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP), the Project Document, project reports including Annual Project Review/PIRs, project budget revisions, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the team considers useful for this evidence-based review. The MTR team will review the baseline GEF focal area Core Indicators/Tracking Tools submitted to the GEF at CEO endorsement, and the midterm GEF focal area Core Indicators/Tracking Tools that must be completed before the MTR field mission begins.

The MTR team is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach ensuring close engagement with the Project Team, government counterparts (the GEF Operational Focal Point), the UNDP Country Office(s), the Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) Regional Technical Advisor, direct beneficiaries, and other key stakeholders.

Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful MTR.

Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to:

• UNDP RR/DRR; Task team (RTA, HoU, PMU, M&E officer), GRP; WCS; ANAC; MOZBIO; AFD; ANAC-CITS; IUCN; MINEC; SDAE’s; WWF; USAID; UNDOC; Private operator’s; GEF-Focal Point; Universities (Eduardo Mondlane, Lúrio, Save); NRMC; Hunting and Tourism Concession’s, local government and CSOs.

• Additionally, the MTR team (comprised of one international and one local consultant) is expected to conduct field missions to Mozambique, including the following project sites (Sofala- Gorongosa Restauration Park and Niassa Special Reserve).

• Bebedo community- Nhamatanda: Interaction with the Community leaders, Community Committee represented by the Natural Resources Management Committee, community animators, community rangers, Human-wildlife Coexistence collaborators, beneficiaries of improved silos and corrals; Visits to the Community Conservation Area and receive explanations about the process followed for their establishment, community projects identified, economic feasibility and business plans; Presentation of the Community Development Agenda and Benefit Sharing Plan; Visits to the community nursery and discussions about the implementation of the Natural Resources Management Plans;Visits to the Human- wildlife coexistence strategies: beehives fences, Zinc fences, creosote fences, improved silos and corrals; Depending on time, we can have in place the piloting of at least one community project: Integrated Community Tourism project; Horticulture integrated with peri-peri production and beekeeping as part of the HWC strategies; Cashew and native species production, and others.

• Nhampoca- Nhamatanda -(depending on road accessibility)-Interaction with the Community leaders, Community Committee represented by the Natural Resources Management Committee, community animators, community rangers, Human-wildlife coexistence collaborators (fogueteiros);Visits to the Community Conservation Area and receive explanations about the process followed during the CCA establishment, community projects identified, economic feasibility and business plans; Visits to the community nursery and discussions about the implementation of the Natural Resources Management Plans;Presentation of the Community Development Agenda and Benefit Sharing Plan; Interacting with the District Administrators of Nhamatanda and the Provincial Services of Environment as important stakeholder on the process of establishing CCAs.
• Catemo and Nhabáua- Cheringoma District-Interaction with the Community leaders, Community Committee represented by the Natural Resources Management Committee, community animators, community rangers and Women’s Development Committees; Visits to the Community Conservation Area and receive explanations about the process followed for their establishment, community projects identified, economic feasibility and business plans; Presentation of the Community Development Agenda and Benefit sharing Plan.
• Visiting District Administrators of Cheringoma and the Provincial Services of Environment as important stakeholder on the process of establishing CCAs.
• Visit to the Kodzue caves as part of the potential community tourism for the north conservancy and probably CMM for potential carbon market, as part of sources of incomes for the communities; Visits to the community nurseries and discussions about the implementation of the Natural Resources Management Plans and groups established for the implementation; Probably a visit to the piloting community project: Community Tourism project; Horticulture integrated with peri-peri production and beekeeping as part of the HWC strategies; Cashew and native species production, and others.
• Inhaminga- Cheringoma district; Possible visit to the future GNP headquarters (ongoing building process).
• Vila de Gorongosa and Nhamatanda; Meetings with Judges and Prosecutors to assess the degree of relationship and improvement in coordination, after the various training sessions and visit the GRP activities
• Visits to the Law Enforcement (offices and dormitories in Chitengo) and Outposts – Zebra and Bunga (new buildings and water supply systems).
• Mbatamila Headquarters, interact with all NSR staff.
• Msawise Gate site, the gate was constructed with the GEF project funds and technical assistance.
• Mecula Community office/HWC centre visits to the Human- wildlife coexistence strategies: Zinc fences, creosote fences, local communities’ income generation activities; visit the the community pilot programs in Mecula / Marrupa corridor- visit the community and see the progress that have been made since the project start, also discuss with the community the natural resources management plans and forest management plans.

Competencies

• Excellent communication skills;
• demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and biodiversity;
• demonstrable analytical skills;
• Proven communication, facilitation, writing and evaluation skills, including conducting interviews, focus group discussions, desk research, qualitative and quantitative analysis;

Required Skills and Experience

Education

A minimum degree in Natural Sciences, Environment Management, Environmental;

Studies, Natural Resources and/ or other closely related fields.

Experience

• Proven experience in the implementation and/ or assessment of projects related to biodiversity and conservation governance, protected areas and links (integration with) to sustainable livelihoods;
• Recent experience in supporting project evaluation and/or implementation experience in result- based management frameworks and result-based management evaluation methodologies;
• experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis;
• Able to work as a team member and under the guidance and direction of an international counterpart, providing guidance remotely.

Language

Fluency in written and spoken English and Portuguese.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Recommended Presentation of Offer

1. Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. CV and a Personal History Form (P11 form http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc);
3. Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment; (max 1 page)
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template. If an applicant 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 applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc