Independent Consultant, USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Project

Vacancy Announcement

Position: Independent Consultant, USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Project, RECOFTC Viet Nam

Sub-Activity Code: 1.2.4.1 Prepare plans for forest allocations, land allocations, re-allocation from household-allocated forests to communities (incl. forest inventories and field demarcation)

Duration: 24 days, November 2021 to February 2022

Application deadline: 4 December 2021

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.

The USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Project supports the Government of Viet Nam to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, degradation of natural forests and poor plantation management. The project implements 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 works in seven provinces: Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Nam. It focuses on five main objectives:

1. Strengthening community forest management
2. Promoting conservation-friendly enterprises
3. Improving law enforcement to tackle environmental crimes
4. Enhancing the management of production forests
5. Mobilizing domestic resources.

RECOFTC is implementing Objective 1 by improving and expanding community forest management in the seven target provinces, in close coordination with other partners and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Background

Forest tenure is among the key challenges to improving and expanding community forest management. According to statistics of Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by the end of 2020, communities have managed 1,166,470 hectares or about 8 percent of the country’s total forest area. Forestland areas allocated to communities doubled from about 0.6 million hectares in 2007 to about 1,2 million hectares in 2019). This figure has stagnated over the past few years. At the same time, forestlands area under temporary management of the commune people’s committees (CPCs) has been increasing. By 2020, CPCs were managing nearly three million hectares of forestland across Viet Nam or about 20 percent of national forest area.

Various initiatives have attempted to assist with forest and forestland allocation to non-state forest owners, including communities. Despite these efforts, CPCs in the seven focal provinces of the USAID project are by default temporarily managing 1,101,359 hectares of forestland or 28 percent of total forestland. Communities have been allocated 373,731 hectares of forests or 9,7 percent of total forestland. CPCs do not always have sufficient resources and skills to ensure adequate protection and management of these forest areas. As a consequence, the risk of deforestation and forest degradation has grown in unallocated forestlands. As part of its objective to expand and improve community forest management, the Project aims to promote communities’ forest and forest land tenure by supporting the process of forest and forestland allocation to potential communitiesliving in the forest areas.

Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Quang Nam provinces are among  the focal provinces that have requested the USAID project to assist with allocating 13,667 hectares of forest and forestland to communities. This is mostly forest areas under CPC’s temporary management, areas under forest protection contracts between communities and either CPC or forest management boards. These can be categorized into three types of forests and forestland allocation arrangements:

1. Allocation of forestland attached with forest allocation, 1,149 hectares in Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa and Quang Nam provinces, including the provision of support to improve community participation into forest and forestland allocation to communities in Nghe An Province
2. Allocation of 500 hectares of forest for communities who are allocated forestland in Hoa Binh Province
3. Allocation of 305 hectares of forestland for communities whose allocated forests in Quang Tri.

Objectives of the consultancy

The overall objective of this assignment is to develop detailed technical and procedural designs based on Viet Nam’s existing legal framework. The designs will be customized to the three different forest and forestland allocation arrangements at the selected sites in five provinces, namely Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri and Quang Nam. The consultant will also propose interventions by the Project to support the process for forest and forestland allocation processes in Nghe An Province.

Tasks

The Consultant’s main duties are to:

• Review the latest policies, regulations, ongoing projects/programs on forest and forestland allocation especially those focusing on communities.
• Review   the current status of forests and forestland arrangements at the selected sites in Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Quang Nam provinces.
• Develop and propose detailed technical interventions including budget estimation to support the forest and forestland allocation programs to communities in target districts of Nghe An Province that ensures the full and effective participation of communities.
• Prepare technical and procedural plans for forest and forestland allocation corresponding to each of the community forest and forestland tenure arrangements in a way that ensures full and effective participation of communities, including stages and steps, activities, timeframe, necessary tools and equipment, forms/templates, expected deliverables, budget estimations.
• Provide technical preparations and facilitations during consultation process with relevant Project stakeholders including provincial project management units, technical divisions at district level, CPCs and communities at the target sites of the Project.

Contract duration, timeline and deliverables

Up to 24 days from December 2021 to March 2022 including field travel to the Project’s site. The Consultant will start as soon as possible but no later than 15 December. The Consultant will submit all reports by 15 March 2022 in Vietnamese. The required deliverables and timeframe are listed below.

Qualifications and experience

The successful candidate must comply with the following requirements:

• Vietnamese national
• Master’s degree, preferably a PhD in forestry, law, economics or other related fields
• At least 10 years of experience in the fields of forestry policy and practices in fields, including but not limited to community forestry, forest allocation/forest land allocation, payment for forest ecosystem services (PFES), agroforestry particularly those related communities.
• Knowledge and experience in consulting fields. Preference will be given to professionals who have participated in FA/FLA related projects/programs at provincial and national levels
• Knowledge of forestry policies and legal framework and familiarity with current development in the forestry sector at central and local levels
• Understanding of the implementation of forestry at grassroots level
• Good Vietnamese speaking and writing skills. Working knowledge in English is preferable.

RECOFTC’s core values

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

How to apply

Interested candidates are requested to submit a 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 [email protected] [1]. Please quote the consultancy title in the subject line of the email. Only shortlisted individuals will be notified. Deadline to apply is 5.00 p.m. Hanoi local time, 4 December 2021.

To learn more about RECOFTC, please visit our website www.recoftc.org [2].