Consultant to support the development of national guidelines for identification and recognition of OECMs and ITT in Central African Region

Terms of Reference

Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society is an international NGO headquartered at Bronx Zoo in New York City, USA, working to save wildlife and wildlands and to meet global challenges in over 60 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the world’s oceans. WCS believes that conservation of nature and natural resources is essential to life on earth, the future of humanity, and the wellbeing and cultural identities of Indigenous Peoples and traditional and local communities.

Program Overview

The Central Africa and Gulf of Guinea program is one of the largest of WCS’s 13 Global Regional Programs, spanning Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo (RoC), and Gabon. This is a rapidly growing program with a diverse and expanding portfolio of donors, partners and projects. The region presents a set of complex conservation challenges to biodiversity and their habitats and WCS field programs are addressing these through a number of initiatives including protected area management, community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, policy reform and sustainable financing. WCS recently formally established its regional hub in Kigali, Rwanda which hosts a growing team of technical specialists and regional management to support our country programs and field offices.

Summary of Need

The Central Africa region is a recognized global biodiversity hotspot of high global biodiversity value. Countries in this region have a significant role to play in the successful implementation of the global Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) commitments, including Target 3, which states “Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 percent of terrestrial, inland water, and of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures [OECM], recognizing indigenous and traditional territories [ITT], where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories.” Achieving Target 3, also known as “30×30”, in the Central African countries of Gabon, DRC and RoC will require strengthening the management and expansion of existing protected areas, the identification of new terrestrial and marine protected areas, as well as the identification of OECMs and ITT with enhanced spatial planning to effectively inform these efforts.

Objective of the consultancy

WCS is looking for a consultant to support the implementation of Target 3, also known as 30×30, within the Central African country RoC, with a focus on supporting the development of national guidelines for identification, prioritization, and recognition of marine and terrestrial OECMs and ITT.

Specific tasks

• Conducts a stakeholder analysis to assess key stakeholders’ understanding (knowledge) of OECMs, their interests and expectations as well as other internal and external factors that may help or hinder the process of OECMs identification and recognition.
• Develops a stakeholder engagement plan to ensure all key stakeholders at local and national levels are included in the process of OECMs identification and recognition.
• Conducts a review of legal and policy frameworks, their implementations and challenges related to their enforcement as well as their implications for 30×30 and OECMs in particular.
• Works with the WCS regional and global Right & Communities team to identify potential impacts (positive and negative) of recognizing OECMs on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LCs) as well as mitigation measures.

Reporting and communication:

The consultant will report to the Africa Director of Policy and Partnerships. Calls (via Skype, MS teams or zoom) to discuss progress, forthcoming activities, and any substantive issues arising, will be scheduled at the contract start and (at least but not limited to) once every two weeks thereafter.

Level of Effort, Deliverables and Payment Schedule:

The consultancy is fixed term with an estimated duration of 105 days.

Consultant will be paid based on submission and approval of the following deliverables:

• Situation analysis (20 days)
• A report summarizing key stakeholders involved in 30×30 and OECMs, their knowledge, needs and expectations
• A stakeholders’ engagement plan for the process of OECMs identification and recognition
• Review of legal and policy framework to contextualize OECMs in the current policy framework (25 days)
• A report summarizing and evaluating the legislation and policies pertaining to 30×30, its current state of implementation with recommendations for improvement on policies and legal framework as well as recommendations for improvements on institutional coordination and implementation mechanisms.
• Development of a guideline for OECMs identification and recognition (60 days)
• A national guideline/framework document for OECMs identification and recognition in RoC

Travel and accommodation for the consultant will be arranged and covered by WCS following a pre-approval modality. Travel is required to deliver this scope of work.

Education Qualification/ Required Skills & Experience

• Master’s degree in environmental management/conservation.
• At least 10 years’ experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience engaging with multiple stakeholders (local communities, Governments, private sector and NGOs, etc.) with different interests.
• Experience at the intersection of several of the following: Policy, Science, Communications, and Conservation Implementation.
• Politically savvy and knowledge of politics and society with respect to environmental affairs.
• Communicating clearly via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and French.
• Experience in partnership development with non-profit partners, community groups and/or government agencies.
• Fluency in French is preferable.