Consultancy to Design Work Plan for Getting Forest Certification

TERMS OF REFERENCE
Design detail work plans for getting Forest Certification integrated with field testing of the Ecosystem Services

Country:     Vietnam
Organisation:    SNV – Netherlands Development Organisation
Program:     REDD +
Projects:    Forest  Certification for Ecosystem Services (ForCES)
Abstract:     Design detail plans for getting forest certified integrating with testing the Ecosystem Services
Duration:    15 person-days/site

1 Background:

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification has typically focused on the certification of timber products sourced from sustainably managed forests as determined by a set of principles and criteria. Under the Forest Certification for Ecosystem Services (ForCES) project, the idea of expanding FSC to include additional ecosystem services (such as carbon, water, biodiversity and others) will be tested across 4 countries; Vietnam, Chile, Indonesia and Nepal. Essential to this is the development of suitable measurable compliance indicators which will be incorporated in FSC national standards in the pilot countries and into international standards. SNV Vietnam will implement activities under the ForCES project in Quang Tri Province, and Huong Son, Ha Tinh Province.

Referring to that this TOR is developed and using by the project for recruiting a consultant or consultant teams to provide comprehensive analysis and facilitation work to develop detail activities plans for getting expanded FSC certification will be developed and agreed with the forest owners in 02 pilot sites in Huong Son, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri.

2. Tasks of the consultant:

Throughout this assignment, the consultant team will be expected to focus on the following key aspects with respect to developing the action plans for getting forest certified for 02 pilot sites:

- Conduct feasibility for certification including prepare the lists of sites and Forest Management Units (FMUs), products and potential resource managers.
- Work with ForCES staff to identify the sites and FMUs
- Work with forest managers/owners to develop action plan for getting forest certified including the list of the activities to be done in the whole process of the forest certification; the role of various stakeholders and draft budget for those.
- Identify the potential ecosystem services for the pilot sites.
- Explore the key activities and capacity building needs for pilot testing the ecosystem services indicators developed by ForCES.

3. Expected outputs and deliverables:

- Action plans for consultation and approval by SNV by the end of June 2013
- Technical report based on the key tasks highlighted above in July 2013

4. Qualifications

The consultant should demonstrate:
- A solid understanding of sustainable forest management as demonstrated by at least 5 years work experience and relevant qualifications in this area.
- A sound understanding of the concept of forest certification
- Proven experience in working in REDD+ and PES in the context of Vietnam.
- Understand about the sites and can work with communes and forest owners to develop work plan.
- Good facilitation skills and participatory planning skills

5.Timeframe and Location

The consultant team will work in Quang Tri and Ha Tinh for a period of 15 days/site over a period of 1 months (with possible extension if necessary) from the date of signing the contract for activities.

A consultant team for this assignment will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out by SNV. Interested individual consultants/consultant team may obtain further information from the SNV by contacting Vu Thi Que Anh at [email protected]. Interested consultants should submit their application letter and latest CV, by email to [email protected] .  No later than 30th May 2013.