Support MedProgramme CP1.1 to undertake an habitats and biodiversity loss causality analysis in the Mediterranean Sea (Level B)

Environment

Overview

Provide a causality analysis on habitats and biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean Sea.

You have:

• Advanced University degree in biology, marine sciences, fisheries sciences, or related disciplines required
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work and experience on marine biological sciences and ecosystem matters is required
• Work experience in related research and/or complex multidisciplinary projects is required
• Work experience with governments and stakeholders is required
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required
• Fluency in French and/or Arabic (written and spoken) is an asset
• Experience with/knowledge of the major science/policy marine programmes is an asset
• Experience with/knowledge of UNEP/MAP and IMAP is an asset

Result of Service The ultimate result of the service is to provide the GEF/MedProgramme with an natural loss transboundary diagnostic analysis through updating on environmental concerns and performing causal chain analysis (CCA).

Work Location home-based

Expected duration The contract will be for 4 working months extended over 6 months from the date of the last signature.

Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional levels. 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. United Nation’s Environment Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and advisory services for the implementation of environmental policy and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. This consultancy assignment is for the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), Athens, Greece.

This consultancy assignment is in the framework of Output 2.1 (Updated TDA including gender assessment) of the GEF MedProgramme-Child Project 1.1 entitled Reducing Pollution from Harmful Chemicals and Wastes in Mediterranean Hot Spots and Measuring Progress to Impacts executed by UNEP/MAP.

The MedProgramme represents the first GEF programmatic multi-focal area initiative in the Mediterranean Sea aiming to operationalize priority actions to reduce major transboundary environmental stresses in its coastal areas while strengthening climate resilience and water security and improving the health and livelihoods of coastal populations. The MedProgramme is implemented in ten beneficiary countries sharing the Mediterranean basin: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco,Tunisia and Turkey. It involves a wide spectrum of developmental and societal sectors, ranging from banking institutions, the private sector, governmental and non-governmental bodies, industry, research, media, and various other organizations. It builds on the work of UNEP/MAP and previous GEF investments in the region which have enriched the knowledge on the Mediterranean environment and unraveled the implications of climate change and variability; strengthened countries’ mutual trust, cooperation and common purpose; consolidated partnerships among countries, UN bodies, civil society organizations, bilateral donors and the European Union (EU); and tested on the ground the feasibility and effectiveness of technical and policy instruments aimed at addressing major present and future threats to environmental sustainability and climate related impacts.

The specific objectives of CP1.1 will be achieved through a multi-focal area collaboration between the GEF Chemical Waste (CW) and International Waters (IW) focal areas, with three project components aiming to 1) reduce land based sources of pollution (CW component); 2) improve monitoring capacity in order to be able to measure these and future reductions in pollution levels (IW component); and 3) monitoring and evaluation and information dissemination (CW and IW component). The CP1.1 Component 2 aims to strengthen the regional cooperation frameworks to identify priorities and actions that will lead to increased environmental and socioeconomic benefits in the Mediterranean. The Output 2.1 (Output 2.1: Updated TDA including gender assessment), activities will provide a support to the Mediterranean Countries to update the) 2005 Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) baseline regarding transboundary issues that affect the state of their marine and coastal environments, analyze causes and impacts of identified/ prioritized issues, and recommend areas where adequate responses are needed to ensure attainment of good environmental status (GES). The update will include a gender assessment and strengthen the knowledge base on several pertinent topics (such as impact of climate change on natural and socio-economic systems, impact of pollution on marine ecosystems, potential for blue economy development, etc.), looking also at trends and future scenarios. Capacities to monitor and report (referring to national, regional and global scales) will be enhanced, enabling (in conjunction with other Contracting Parties of the MedProgramme) the assessment of progress towards stress reduction impacts and achievement of relevant Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets.

The TDA update will be undertaken by identifying and prioritizing the transboundary problems (4.1. Reversing pollution, 4.2. Stopping litter, 4.3. Enhancing nature, 4.4. Fighting climate, 4.5. Sustaining assets, 4.6. Switching livelihoods, 4.7. Integrating knowledge, 4.8. Boosting digitalization, 4.9. Preventing crises); gathering and interpreting information on the environmental impacts and socio-economic consequences; and analyzing the immediate, underlying, and root causes for each problem, and in particular identifying specific practices, sources, locations, and human activity sectors from which environmental degradation arises or threatens to arise. The updated TDA will provide a factual basis for expected follow-up activities towards formulation of the next SAP for the Mediterranean that will (through strategic planning and negotiations) set priorities for the time horizon beyond 2025 to resolve the priority transboundary problems identified in the TDA.

To this aim, UNEP/MAP requires the services of a regional consultant/expert in the Mediterranean region to prepare a habitats and biodiversity loss transboundary causality analysis report, based on the following: 1- Update on coastal and marine habitats and biodiversity loss transboundary problems, including fish stocks, NIS, and deep sea habitats. 2- Perform a causality analysis establishing drivers, pressures, state, impacts on ecosystem services and welfare effects, whilst examining existing conservation (policy) measures. 3- Identify and analyse the four major transboundary biodiversity-related issues; along with region-wide immediate, underlying and root causes (including knowledge gaps and social and gender traits).

Tasks: The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: 1. Prepare a detailed work plan and methodological approach, including timetable (task 1); 2. Elaborate a working and reporting methodology (in Excel format), including qualitative reporting tools and categorization fields, to track scientific ecosystem related environmental concerns of transboundary nature, including but not limited to: 1) habitats (seagrasses, maërl, sea caves, rocky reefs, coastal lagoon, etc.), 2) species (fish stocks -demersal, small/large pelagics-, emblematic/keystone species (e.g. cetaceans, monk seal, marine turtles, seabirds, hippocampus, etc.), 3) communities and functions (deep coral communities, NIS, nursery and other vulnerable areas, etc.) and 4) pollution effects (litter, chemicals, nutrients and noise), fisheries by-catch, and cumulative impacts; 3. Review and analysis of recent scientific literature (2015 – 2021) in the Mediterranean region to select the most recent and relevant peer-reviewed articles (between 25-35), in order to extract both qualitative and quantitative data and information by country and ecoregion (Excel); 4. Review and analysis of recent recent existing science/policy interface reports at national and regional scales published by organisations located in the Mediterranean region or abroad, whilst extracting both qualitative and quantitative data and information (Excel); 5. Review and analysis current and finished complementary projects funded by international, EU, or similar; 6. Prepare written summary reports of the findings in 3, 4, and 5 with attention tho the geographical scales, level of transboundary importance, degree of regional concern, glossary definitions, etc., including new relevant transboundary topics if any; 7. Complete and deliver the draft Excel file according the proposed methodology as agreed with UNEP/MAP/MEDPOL with elucidated georeferenced data and metadata for ecosystem topics from 1 to 4, from task 2), including required harmonized categorization metadata levels (task 2); 8. Analyze the current conservation priority areas region-wide with the support of UNEP/MAP/MEDPOL and provide a summary in Excel format; 9. Analyze national IMAP Biodiversity monitoring programmes and related monitoring plans to identify concerns of transboundary nature, including all aspects of the analytical chain for data collection, analysis and reporting and provide a summary in Excel format; 10. Provide a written rationale of the priority transboundary issues for elaboration of TDA sub-chapters 4.3, 4.5 and 4.7. 11. Preparation of material (e.g. PPP and documents) and participation in the MedProgramme TDA Steering Committee to be held in Spring 2022; 12. Perform and prepare a draft causality analysis assessment by using both the qualitative and quantitative results interlinking causes, effects, as well as consequences, including explicitly drivers and pressures (e.g. human activity sources, economic sectors, specific practices, etc.) and ecosystem impacts and welfare effects for each defined related cause/effects according to the categories and subcategories identified (task 7); 13. Relate the findings above to the existing region-wide policy responses (e.g., EU, UN SDGs Global Framework, UN Ecosystem Restoration Decade, ICZM protocols, MPAs, etc.), in view of establishing region-wide connectivity with the support of UNEP/MAP and GEF MedProgramme to further validate the causal analysis performed; 14. Submit the final Excel database by merging tasks 7, 8 and 9 above in a single file; 15. Submit the causality assessment report region-wide as a result of tasks 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13, including a proposal for assessment maps; 16. Provide a written proposal, based on the above, of the four main current transboundary concerns and policy responses elucidating scientific knowledge, socioeconomic and gender gaps (including diagrams) following the outline below: a. Description of the problem and its transboundary importance b. Major environmental impacts and socio-economic consequences (including gender aspects) c. Linkages with other transboundary problems d. Immediate, underlying and root causes (with diagram) e. Knowledge gaps f. Conclusions and recommendations 17. Prepare the draft TDA sub-chapters 4.3, 4.5 and 4.7 further to the agreement with MEDPOL and MedPCU; 18. Submit the final (habitats and biodiversity loss) transboundary causality assessment report according to UNEP/MAP/MEDPOL guidance (approx. 30pp) and the related TDA sub-chapters contributions; 19. Complete the final consultancy report entailing the deliverables of the consultancy in a single document.

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the MEDPOL Programme Officer, in close collaboration of MedProgramme management office, and under the supervision of UNEP/MAP coordinator.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: - Advanced University degree in biology, marine sciences, fisheries sciences, or related disciplines required;

Experience: - A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work and experience on marine biological sciences and ecosystem matters (e.g. research, scientific assessments, reports, peer-reviewed publications, etc.) is required; - Work experience in related research and/or complex multidisciplinary projects is required; - Work experience with governments and stakeholders is required

Language: - Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required; - Fluency in French and/or Arabic (written and spoken) is an asset;

Additional Information - Experience with/knowledge of the major science/policy marine programmes is an asset; - Experience with/knowledge of the UNEP/MAP and IMAP is an asset;

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