Mapping/GIS Consultant for developing ecotourism plan for Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK

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A. RECOFTC ORGANIZATION AND VALUES

At RECOFTC, we believe in a future where people live equitably and sustainably in and beside healthy, resilient forests. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach to supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equity. We are the only non-profit organization of our kind in Asia and the Pacific. We have more than 30 years of experience working with people and forests, and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. Our influence and partnerships extend from multilateral institutions to governments, private sector and local communities. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

At RECOFTC, our core values are the foundation of our culture and guide all our work. In addition to job specific skills and experience, the applicant should possess the following characteristics, attitudes and skills:

• Embrace innovation
• Adapt to, and learn from, challenges
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
• Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
• Prioritize sustainability
• Cultivate participation, social inclusion and gender equity

B. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project (the Project) will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management. The Project will implement a “Green Prosperity” approach that strengthens local communities’ ability to protect their natural resource base and reduce emissions while building a strong foundation for sustainable livelihoods and equitable economic growth.

The Project will work in seven provinces (Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Nam) and focus on five objectives:

1. Improve and expand community forest management
2. Increase conservation-friendly enterprises in forest-dependent communities
3. Increase functionality of law enforcement system for forest crimes
4. Improve production forest management practices
5. Mobilize domestic resources for forest management and protection

The Project will be implemented during the period 2020-2025 by DAI in collaboration with RECOFTC and Preferred by Nature as partners, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as the counterpart and the Management Board of Forestry Projects (MBFP) as project owner.

C. DESCRIPTION OF CONSULTANCY SERVICE

1.    Background

The Government of Vietnam (GVN) has prioritized ecotourism as one of the important tourism products in the country’s tourism strategies. This industry has strong potential in generating an indirect source of income for local communities, and contribute to maintaining and developing natural resources. Given the rich forest resources in protected areas nationwide, the promotion of ecotourism is promising which could also offer an opportunity to seek out alternative financial solutions to reduce its dependence on the state budget. In this context, the GVN has set up legal framework and promulgated various policies to ensure proper establishment and development of ecotourism which include Forestry Law in 2017, effective from 2019; Decree 156/2018/ND-CP detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Forestry; and Circular 28/2019/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 16, 2018 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development promulgating the Circular providing for sustainable forest management.

Recently Vietnam Administration of Forestry issued official Letter No. 1183 /TCLN-DDPH dated August 31, 2021 of the General Department of Forestry (VNFOREST) on guiding the development of a scheme for eco-tourism, convalescence and entertainment in special-use forests and protection forests. This has provided useful guidelines for Protection Forest Management Boards/Special Use Forest Management Boards in development of ecotourism plans.

Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board lies on administrative land of 18 communes and township in Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province with an area of 15,662.04 ha forests and forestry land. Bac Ha has about 34,000 ha of forestry land, of which about 28,000 ha is forest. This is also one of only two districts (Bac Ha and Muong Khuong) of Lao Cai which have the natural distribution of two rare and specious forest tree species Nghien (Excentrodendron tonkinensis Chang & Miau) and Trai ly (Garcinia fagraeoides) among many other specious flora species. In addition, the region is well-known for its cool climate, fresh air, beautiful landscapes which is home to many ethnic minority groups with rich cultural and traditional values. These are key to promote ecotourism activities Bac Ha district that could contribute to maintaining cultural and traditional values, engaging with communities for better local livelihoods and improved forest protection and management.

In this context, RECOFTC Viet Nam seeks to recruit a consultant team with 03 consultants to support development of a Plan on ecotourism, resorts, and entertainment in the protection forest of Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board, integrated with strengthening forest management and protection, and preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values - period of 2023-2030.

This activity is expected to contribute directly to the main indicators including ID2: Number of institutions with improved capacity; Indicator 3: Number of laws, policies, regulations, or standards ID5: Number of people receiving livelihood co-benefits (monetary or non-monetary); and ID8: Number of hectares under improved management.

2.    Purpose of the consultancy assignment

To serve as the Mapping/GIS Consultant for the development of a Plan on ecotourism, resorts, and entertainment in the protection forest of Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board, integrated with strengthening forest management and protection, and preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values - period of 2023-2030. This plan aims to effectively guide the exploitation of the abundant and unique tourism potential of the locality, while conserving and promoting the values of biodiversity, ecological environment, and cultural identity, to contribute to economic development and improve the living standards of local people (hereinafter referred to as the Plan).

The development of the Plan shall follow relevant policies, guidelines and the Decision No 3256/QD-UBND dated December 26, 2022 of Lao Cao People’s Committee approving Outlines of the a Plan on ecotourism, resorts, and entertainment in the protection forest of Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board, integrated with strengthening forest management and protection, and preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values - period of 2023-2030.

3.    Expected results/Deliverables

• One set of maps of the current status of natural and cultural resources, tourist routes, proposed construction sites, sustainable tourism development planning  required for the development of the plan for the period 2023-2030.
• A joint consultancy report.

4.    Consultant team composition

The consultant team consists of three consultants as follows:

• One (01) consultant on ecotourism as the team leader, responsible for coordinating, assigning, verifying, and supervising team members during the implementation process; directly participating in the surveys and development of intervention activities.
• One (01) consultant on resource management as a member, responsible for assessing the current status of resources for ecotourism implementation. Identification of natural, cultural, historical, and spiritual tourist routes and attractions based on the results of the assessment, analysis of potentials and needs, and
• One (01) Mapping/GIS consultant on mapping as a team member, responsible to directly collect, analyze, synthesize data, digitize maps and support other related tasks.

5.    Location

Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province.

6.    Tasks

The Mapping/GIS consultant, under the supervision of the consultant team leader, shall directly collect, analyze, and synthesize data, reports, and other tasks related to the consultancy assignment, including:

6.1 Preparation

• Collect and study Project documents, plans, strategies, and proposals on ecotourism in the project area.
• Work with the consultant supervisor, Provincial PMU, Bac Ha District People's Committee, Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board and the team leader to agree on the implementation plan, reports and other tasks related to consultancy assignment.
• Work with Bac Ha PFMB, district/commune natural resources and environment units if needed, to collect layers of base maps or paper maps of forest resources status, land use status, administrative maps, maps of agricultural land use planning as a basis for building attribute maps for ecotourism the Plan.

6.2 Support the team leader in preparing forms and collecting information on the current status of ecotourism activities at the Bac Ha Protection Forest Management Board, identifying areas planned for ecotourism as assigned by the team leader, and digitizing into maps for the Plan.

6.3 Digitize and develop a set of maps to include: tourist routes, proposed construction sites, sustainable tourism development planning, tourism resources.

6.4 Conduct surveys, measuring and completing of all field maps.

6.5 Support the team leader in identifying natural, cultural, historical, and spiritual tourist routes and attractions based on results from assessment and analysis of potentials and needs.

6.6 Support the team leader to presenting the consultation draft and facilitate collecting feedback from provincial departments and stakeholders for the Plan drafting process.

7.    Level of Effort (LOE) and Deliverables

The total number of working days for this consultancy assignment is 20 over the period from April 2023 to September 2023. Time, specific deliverables are listed below:

8.    Qualifications

• Being Vietnamese
• Be a Vietnamese citizen
• University graduate or higher in forestry, environment, cadastral, land management or equivalent disciplines
• Have at least 8 years of experience in the fields related to cartography, and digitization
• Experience in mapping for ecotourism development plans
• Have in-depth knowledge and understanding of map making in Vietnam
• Have management skills and experience, and coordinating with state agencies at all levels to complete the consulting contents with the required time and conditions. Working experience in Lao Cai is an advantage
• Have kills in using Microsoft office applications such as word and excel, mapping tools
• Fluent in spoken and written English is an advantage.

9.    How to apply and requested documents

Interested individuals are requested to submit their CV and a cover letter indicating why they are suitable for this consultancy along with the expected fee or daily rate and current contact details of three references, to [email protected]. Please quote the consultancy title in the subject line of the email. Only shortlisted individuals will be notified.

For any further information you may need about the consultancy, please contact [email protected].

To learn more about RECOFTC, please visit our website www.recoftc.org