1. Proposed revisions to the social aspects of the CCVA toolkit,
2. Piloted test of the CCVA toolkit with detailed methodology for managers/policy makers,
3. Information awareness products,
4. Proposed management and policy actions for adaptation options and/or mitigation; and
5. A manuscript for publication in a peer reviewed journal
Home-based (Madagascan National)
The contract will be for 3 months' period, from the commencement of the contract.
1.0 Background
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. The Secretariat for the Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Western Indian Ocean region, within the Ecosystems Division of UNEP is implementing projects entitled; ‘Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the protection of the Western Indian Ocean from land-based sources and activities’ (WIOSAP) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Partnership project between the Nairobi Convention and the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (NC-SWIOFC) for marine and coastal governance and fisheries management for sustainable blue growth with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
The WIOSAP project is implementing interventions ‘to reduce impacts from land-based sources and activities and sustainably manage critical coastal and marine ecosystems through the implementation of the agreed WIO-SAP priorities with the support of partnerships at national and regional levels’. The project has presented an opportunity to the governments in the region and their conservation partners to jointly implement strategies of protecting coastal and marine ecosystems from land-based sources and activities to provide essential goods and services on a sustainable basis.
The NC-SWIOFC partnership project seeks (i) to enhance the resilience of livelihoods based on WIO marine and coastal ecosystem and habitats, (ii) to promote sustainable management of coastal fisheries using the ecosystem approach to fisheries, and (iii) to enhance coordination between fisheries and environmental management institutions. In particular, Component 1 of the project on environmental management will support the regional and national capacity on adaptation to climate variability and change. It will address the capacity gap on options, approaches and tools for the sustainable management of the use of coastal resources, particularly fisheries and assessment of risks and vulnerabilities affecting coastal fisheries communities. Regional collaboration for enhancing scientific research, data generation, assessment and analysis of impacts of climate change are essential in the context of the resilience of coastal communities as well as in assisting countries in identifying major technologies and innovative approaches at various adaptation scales. Depending on the national context, it is expected that countries will update their climate change adaptation policies to include the coastal and marine systems and enhance the resilience of their coastal communities.
The two projects respond to Nairobi Convention’s Contracting Parties Decision CP.9/1.3 on Work programme for 2018–2022 which requested the Secretariat to develop a regional integrated programme for the full implementation of the strategic action programmes developed under the WIO-LaB project and its extension beyond the lifespan of the Strategic Action Programme. The WIOSAP and NC-SWIOFC partnership projects are implemented and executed through a “Partnerships Approach” with the Nairobi Convention Secretariat being the Executing Agency. The beneficiary countries are Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and South Africa.
2.0 Purpose of the consultancy
Assessing the vulnerability of communities to climate change is essential, particularly those that are highly dependent on coastal and marine resources in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). Specifically, socio-ecological vulnerability assessments are efficient tools for informing climate change adaptation strategies for communities that depend on coastal and marine ecosystems. These assessments involve describing the intensity of threats and identifying potential impacts, relative to the capacity of the interacting human and ecological systems to cope with such threats. It can also help identify the communities that are most vulnerable to climate change and its impacts, and help in crafting adaptation plans to help lift those communities that will be severely affected to a state of enhanced resilience. Given this need and urgency, the Nairobi Convention will undertake climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVA) for representative communities that depend on coastal and marine ecosystems in four countries i.e. Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.
The Nairobi Convention has recently supported the development of a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments (CCVA) toolkit, which requires further pilot testing. The terms of this consultancy are to help support the pilot test of the CCVA toolkit in the selected Western Indian Ocean (WIO) countries. More specifically, this consultancy will mainly involve gathering and analyzing of social and economic data relevant to the CCVA of local communities dependent on major coastal ecosystems i.e. mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass beds, and other marine resources, such as artisanal fisheries, and developing knowledge management products, identify specific adaptation technology needs, based on existing science and national plans and with a focus on the needs of coastal communities, including mapping of risks and possible responses to extreme climatic events, identify potential networks for the sharing of information on successful adaptation, for management and policy decision making. It will provide for the definition and inclusion of coastal and marine adaptation options in climate change policies at national level depending on country context, and contribute to the enhancement of critical habitats conservation and sustainable marine conservation networks explicitly supporting the social and economic sustainability of coastal communities.
The CCVAs will involve quantifying the exposure dimensions at the ecosystem level, and the sensitivity and the adaptive capacity of both the social and ecological systems. This component of CCVA focuses on the social adaptive capacity and sensitivity dimensions applied to selected local communities in Madagascar led by WWF-Madagascar. Furthermore, the communities will be chosen based on social and ecological characteristics that are common across the region. Examples of these social characteristics include poor communities with few opportunities besides resource extraction and relatively wealthy communities with diverse options for subsistence. Each community would also have access to a diversity of ecosystems, with varying states of ecosystem health, which could provide them with different kinds of opportunities. This study will require participation and inputs from local partners and representatives in the WIO, which could also facilitate capacity building of the said participants. It is expected that these assessments will yield critical information on the adaptive capacity of the selected communities, opportunities to enhance their resilience, and key management and policy implications to inform decision making within the context of climate change adaptation. The study will focus on the areas of: BATAN (Five Bays in the North West + Nosy Hara); Boeny (Bombetoka Bay or Mahajamba); Menabe (including Tsiribihina and Mangoky) and the Bay of Assassin (South West). The assessment will provide information necessary to raise and promote awareness around climate change adaptation through networks, partnerships, knowledge products and knowledge sharing events, and platforms in the WIO region. Technical support in field designs and eventual data analysis and interpretation will be availed to the Consultant by the lead Institution i.e. WWF-MD and Macquarie University, Australia. The proposed assessments will be conducted in four countries in the region i.e. Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar to complement recent ecological piloting of the regional CCVA Toolkit in the same countries as part implementation of the Climate Change Strategy for the Convention.
3.0 Tasks and Responsibilities
Under the general supervision of the Head, Secretariat of the Nairobi Convention, and direct supervision of the project team leader, the consultant is expected to undertake the following roles:
a) Review the social aspects of the CCVA toolkit, particularly the sensitivity and adaptive capacity dimensions of vulnerability and the associated socioeconomic survey template, and propose revisions to ensure that the tool captures different social and economic contexts in the WIO
b) Develop the sampling design and a generic survey template, including the general operational framework and delivery, for the socioeconomic surveys
c) Prepare a data template (i.e. in a spreadsheet or any other accessible format) to organize the responses from the socioeconomic surveys.
d) Train local partners on the use of the socioeconomic surveys of the CCVA toolkit
e) In consultation with the project team leader have a full view of CCVA for the target communities reviewed
f) Test the socioeconomic surveys, before revision and application to the target communities. This process may involve a combination of focus groups as well as individual surveys
g) In consultation with the project team leader, analyse the collected qualitative and quantitative data
h) In consultation with the project team leader prepare and submit a report on the pilot test, including the relative social adaptive capacity and sensitivity scores among communities and detailed recommendations for managers/policy makers for adaptation options and/or mitigation
i) Generate and produce key information awareness products and relevant manuscript targeting peer reviewed journals. The products should be in a format that can be integrated with ecological and climate data to facilitate a more integrated CCVA.
Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) is required in Climate Change, Marine Ecology, Coastal Ecosystems Management, Forestry or any related discipline. Background on social sciences (e.g. human geography, sociology, anthropology), or a similar field such as conservation and sustainability sciences is desirable.
Experience: A minimum of 10 years of professional experience is required in developing and/or implementing programmes on coastal ecosystems conservation, natural resources management (ecosystem management, climate change, community engagement, etc.); Demonstrated knowledge and experience on methods for obtaining social and economic data, good understanding of adaptation science from a socio-ecological perspective, and working experience with coastal communities in the WIO is required. Experience in working with coastal communities and different stakeholder at both strategic and technical levels and demonstrated quality and timely delivery is required. Working knowledge in the Madagascar coast and with Government & intergovernmental programme of would be preferred; Experience in working in a multidisciplinary set up and demonstrated broad understanding of climate change and natural resource management matters in the WIO region is desired. Demonstrated competency in high level and excellent scientific/technical writing and rigour in critical writing and review of documents and ability to work within very short timelines and with minimum supervision would be an advantage.
Language: English and French are the official working languages of the United Nations. For
this consultancy, fluency in oral and written knowledge of English is required. Working knowledge of French is an advantage.
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.