| Description |
The GEF has approved a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) for Madagascar in order to produce a UNDP Project Document accompanied by a GEF CEO Endorsement Request (both using the appropriate templates) under the guidance of UNDP-GEF and working in close collaboration with key government officials, donors, NGOs, CBOs and the private sector.
The project, budgeted for $6,750,000 in GEF funding and $9,225,000 in co-financing to be mobilized, will conserve globally important biodiversity in Madagascar by expanding the country’s protected area (PA) system. This will be done by developing a network of managed resource protected areas in under represented terrestrial ecosystems, co-managed by local government and communities and integrated into the regional development framework This process will also significantly contribute to strengthening of the national PA system, introducing innovative financing mechanisms to PA and creating the means for sustainably managing PA buffer zones. This will be achieved through the following three components:
1) Establishment of new Managed Resource Protected Areas Core area (IUCN Category IV & VI)
2) Institutional capacity to administer decentralized PA governance framework for managed resources PA
3) Establishment of public-private partnerships ensures financial sustainability
The PPG process is to be implemented between May 2009 and December 2009, it will count on the support from the Malagasy NGO Fanamby and will focus on the activities necessary for finalizing and approving the proposed project. The focal points for the project in government and the PPG team of consultants, including Fanamby’s in-house experts, will work in collaboration with existing related initiatives to carry out the following activities:
PPG Activity 1) Site Identification and Baseline Assessments - Mapping for documenting PA system gaps by habitat type, threats, fragmentation and habitat loss rates
- Prioritize areas for the establishment of MRPAs
- Ground-truthing and assessment of socio-economic conditions in potential sites
- Local and regional workshops for validating site selection
- Baseline data for all sites compiled, including METT application
- Other PA management effectiveness tools applied as relevant
PPG Activity 2) Institutional Framework - Identify key actors at all levels (national, regions, communes and fokontany)
- Questionnaire development
- Capacity needs assessment for all participating national institutions
- Data compilation towards institutional profiles and recommendations for full project implementation
- Capacity strengthening options developed and costed towards an institutional capacity support program
- Institutional capacity support program presented and validated at regional and national workshops
PPG Activity 3) Sustainable Financing - Establish the recurrent costs of MRPA management broken-down by selected PA
- Partnership engineering with the tourism sector
- Missions by Oil & Mines specialist
- Partnership engineering with the oil & mining sector
- Missions by Carbon specialist
- Investigate the potential for developing voluntary carbon ERPA with businesses
- Biodiversity offset framework developed, presented and validated at a national workshop
PPG Activity 4) Sustainable Use Management - Biodiversity friendly agriculture options developed for relevant sites
- Sustainable natural resource use guidelines developed for each site with clear thresholds
- Strategy for engendering sustainable use of resources fully developed
- Strategy presented and validated at a national workshop
PPG Activity 5) Project costing and M&E planning - Team selected and mobilised / relevant contracts signed
- Project inception workshop
- Costing of project outcomes and outputs including co-financing commitments
- Adaptive management and replication strategy
- Define local and national and global environmental benefits
- Determine most effective project alternatives
- Identify social institution, economic and financial sustainability
- Missions by PA specialist
- Project Development Workshop
- Prepare a project monitoring and evaluation plan including baseline level indicators and targets
| Duties and Responsibilities | Encompassing approximately 5 weeks of work throughout the duration of the PPG, the Oil & Mines biodiversity offsetting Specialist will undertake at least one mission to Madagascar complemented by support from home base.
The International Specialist will play a pivotal role in the task of negotiating the involvement of private sector players in the project in collaboration with the UNDP/GEF Regional Technical Advisor, the UNDP Country Office Environment Focal Point and the team of national and international consultants.
Guiding, when needed the national experts and in full collaboration with Fanamby advisors and specialists, the Oil & Mines biodiversity offsetting Specialist will play a key role in the development of the project strategy. He/She will: - Obtain and assess concession allocation, holders and current state of development, if any; information is available from government but discussions with individual operators will be required.
- In collaboration with government agencies and oil/mining companies, assess potential and/or actual risks to targeted MPRAs as well as opportunities for collaboration that lead to a win-win situation; at least two mining companies have developed such agreements with conservation bodies and these can act as a model.
- Risk assessment will include identification of critical habitats and species and explore options for avoidance and/or mitigation as well as, if possible potential conservation intervention from the mining/oil company.
- Support Fanamby and governmental environmental agencies involved in establishing a Business and Biodiversity Offset Program (BBOP) in Madagascar, lobbying to shift mandatory thresholds defined by MECIE towards a more favorable position for biodiversity and local development.
- Promote a the reestablishment regular dialogue between government agencies, extractive industry companies and environmental NGOs in order to track risks and establish common principles for threat mitigation and even a net gain policy (this has been done for mining – conservation conflict avoidance in the recent past.
- Initiate negotiations for future offsets and additional financial support for individual MRPAs where extractive industries are established.
- Develop a site-by-site assessment and options paper (with indicators) for the project including cost surplus analysis comparing ES and extractive industries benefits
- Assess information availability and knowledge level on socio-environmental risky/needs in oil/mines sectors, in state services and amongst local communities
- Identify direct offset trading-up opportunities, leading to recommendations for site based offsets plans
| Competencies | - A graduate degree in environmental management or natural sciences.
- Solid and demonstrated understanding of extractive sector, environmental regulations and off-setting schemes, internationally and nationally.
- Clear and solid understanding of the dependence of communities on resources in the Protected Areas and their potential role in the management and sustainable development of such areas
- Demonstrated competences in the identification and development of Biodiversity offsets strategies and project implementation
- Proven capacity to work with and establish working relationships with community development agencies, government and non-government representatives.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
- Ability to work as a member of a team.
- Ability to take initiative and to work with minimum supervision.
- Experience with multi-ecosystems projects.
- Experience with issues related to existing national extractive industries
- Knowledge of ecological/biological systems would be an asset.
- Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing in order to communicate complex, technical information to technical and general audiences
- Skill in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations
- Skill in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others
- Skill in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise
| Required Skills and Experience | Education: - A graduate degree in the environmental economics
Experience: - Extensive knowledge of extractive industries operations and activities, interests, policies and practices (oil & gas, mining), in particular with regards to environmental issues and, more specifically, biodiversity issues pertaining to the corporate operations.
- Previous experience with GEF development projects is a plus, but not a requirement
- Hold an advanced degree in a relevant field for assessing the O&G industry (e.g. Economics, Finance, Business, Engineering, Legal, Biology, Social Sciences among others), but with consistent professional (if not also academic) specialization in the interface 'extractive industry & biodiversity’
- Have at least 5 years of proven experience in the mentioned field; and
- Demonstrated track record of relevant production in the mentioned area (publications, project proposals, reports)
Language Requirements: - Mastery of oral and written English is a requirement
- Working knowledge of French is a plus
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