Consultant for "Review the pilot Payment for Forest Ecosystem Services (PFES) in Ca Mau"

TERMS OF REFERENCE
Review the outcomes of the pilot Payment for Forest Ecosystem Services (PFES) in Ca Mau and provide recommendations for national PFES policy

Project: Scaling up Mangrove EbA in the Mekong Delta (MAM2 project)

I.  Background
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation has been working in Vietnam since 1995, and is committed to reducing poverty by catalysing environmentally sustainable solutions for the poor in agriculture, energy, water & sanitation, and REDD+. SNV is engaged in the agriculture sector implementing Value Chain, Inclusive Business and Climate Change adaption and Mitigation activities.

Southeast Asia has lost half their mangroves over the past 30 years, primarily as a result of clearing for shrimp ponds.  This has serious consequences such as mangroves protect against tidal waves and storm surges. They are vital fish nursery-grounds, provide timber, honey, and other products and raise land level by trapping sediment.  They also sequester carbon faster than any other forest type.  Healthy mangroves thus make important contributions to both climate change adaptation and mitigation and form the basis of coastal ecosystem-based adaptation.

Scaling up Mangrove EbA in the Mekong Delta (MAM2), funded by Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), implemented by SNV and IUCN in coordination with Ca Mau Province People’s Committee (PPC). This project has tried to build capacity for local stakeholders (Aquaculture/forestry sectors, local authority, private companies, and farmers); improve livelihood of mangrove – shrimp farmers on degraded mangroves by promoting shrimp certification and restoration; recommend for policy makers for Payment for Ecosystem Services on Aquaculture; and create enable conditions for accessing climate change fund, REDD+. Project focused sites will be in Ngoc Hien district for these activities. The MAM2 project, SNV-Vietnam Agriculture programme is cooperating with Ca Mau PPC/Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), seafood enterprises, Forest Management Boards and shrimp households in Ca Mau province.

The MAM2 project (SNV/IUCN) is now seeking national specialist on policy and experienced on payment for forest ecosystem services (PFES), in order to reviewing/strengthening existing regulation for sustainable mangrove shrimp development for sub-national level in Ca Mau and provide scientific and practical bases to recommend/contribute for the central government to draft national PFES.

II.        Consultancy service description:

1.    Objectives

• To review the outcomes of Decision 111 of Ca Mau’s PPC (January 22, 2016) to pilot the payment for forest ecosystem services (PFES) in mangrove-shrimp systems in Ca Mau and provide a GAP analysis of the 2 years implementation of this decision;
• To conduct consultations with related stakeholders to recommend a draft revision of CM PPC’s decision (Dec 111/PPC);
• Provide evidence-based recommendations to modify the legal, payment/accounting and auditing mechanisms to strengthen and mainstream PFES in shrimp-aquaculture in CM province;
• Provide recommendations for integrating the lessons from Decision 111 into national PFES policy;
• Provide recommendations, including process, to develop a PFES regulation in other provinces (e.g. Ben Tre and TV).

2.    Scope of work

These study areas are mainly implemented in Ca Mau province. Specialist has to work closely with Ca Mau PPC/DARD, Ngoc Hien district, FMBs, MARD/VNFF and VNPF, CTU and MAM2 project in order to ensure the quality of information, data and research result to adapt requirement, coincide with reality.

3.    Methodology/Tasks

• Reviewing decision 111/PPC CM on 22 Jan, 2016 on sustainable certified shrimp (PFES) to identify weakness, gaps in practical implementation, theory to provide GAP analysis for provincial authority, project;
• Conduct consultations/survey and meetings with related stakeholders (companies, policy makers, FMBs, farmers..) about policy implementation in pilot areas and identify their further needs;
• Provide technical report and present at provincial workshops on reviewing decision 111 about GAP analysis and drafting provincial revision regulation;
• Recommendations for improvement/revision of provincial regulation and national policy of aquaculture PFES.
• Contribute to capacity building for subnational authority, DARDs, FMBs, other policy makers on PFES and sustainable policy.

4.    Deliverables:
All deliverable in Vietnamese and English with the contents below:

• A proposal for the study with methodology, design, monitoring/data collection and analysis, work-plan and estimated costs for the study;

• Consultation designs, notes with related stakeholders (farmer groups, FMBs, private companies, provincial authority/policy makers);

• Technical and final reports:
  
  • A report on reviewing of decision 111/PPC in implementation and GAP analysis (Dec 2017);
  • An accepted draft revision of PPC’s decision (Dec, 2017);
  • A technical report to provide evidence-based recommendations: 1) to modify the legal, payment/accounting and auditing mechanisms to strengthen and mainstream PFES in shrimp-aquaculture in CM province; 2) to integrate the lessons from Decision 111 into national PFES policy; 3) to develop a aquaculture PFES regulation in other provinces (eg. Ben Tre and TV)  (March, 2018);

• Materials for training/workshop with related stakeholders;

5.  Timeline:  From September 2017 to March 10, 2018.

III.      Qualifications, skills and experience required

The consultants need to have the following qualifications:

• Having certification of expertise in Forestry/Aquaculture/Policy areas;
• Having at least 10-year experience in policy  and related areas;
• Preferred knowledge, skills, and experience in policy establishment, mangrove shrimp aquaculture in Ca Mau province, having knowledge, experience from working in organic certification project; having excellent building capacity, transfer technology and training.
• Having capacity of reporting/training in Vietnamese and English in this topic.

IV.       How to apply:

Interested consultants/ firms are requested to submit:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV); Updated experience working document.
• Detail of proposal demonstrating the ability to deliver on this assignment, included financial, area survey, logistic support etc. during implementation of this assignment; Estimate working days with above detail (with supporting from Field Coordinator, partners in Provinces, FMBs).
• Deadline for proposal submission: September 13, 2017
• Proposal is requested to send email to: [email protected] 

Components of the technical proposal:

• Understanding of the assignment
• Proposed assignment approach, methodology and tools
• Work plan and resource arrangement
• Team roles and specific tasks

Annexes: CVs of team members, relevant publications or other evidence of relevant capacities

Components of the budget proposal:

• Package rate of the work and daily rate of each member
• Operational and support costs
• Total estimated costs