Overview : Terms of Reference (TOR)
A. PROJECT: Development of a protocol for monitoring land use change within productive landscapes of Costa Rica
B. Project Description
Project context and rationale
Lowland tropical rainforests are under threat from agricultural expansion, particularly in areas with fertile soils. Deforestation and forest degradation from agricultural expansion and conversion to pastureland, account for nearly 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire global transportation sector and second only to the energy sector. Export-oriented, intensive agriculture remains a leading driver of habitat destruction in many tropical regions. Increases in global agricultural production are required to meet the expected 70–100% growth in food consumption by 2050. Higher yields may account for most of the production increase, but tropical forests are threatened with future conversion to staple and luxury crops. This calls for international efforts to reduce deforestation to develop new effective ways to improve the environmental performance of commodity supply chains. The proposed pilot project aims to reduce the environmental externalities of pineapple production in Costa Rica through the set-up of a land use change monitoring system to inform purchasing policies of buyers.
Costa Rican Forests and Commodity Expansion
Costa Rica is a global leader in both conservation and intensive tropical agriculture; a fifth of the country has some type of protected status, and it has some of the highest yields per hectare of bananas and pineapples in the world. Thus, the country is an ideal location where to pilot test ways to combat degradation and deforestation from agricultural commodity expansion through selective purchasing by buyers.
Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the world that have successfully combated deforestation. With the highest deforestation rates during the 1980s, it reforested 52% of its territory. Nevertheless the composition and structure of ecosystems is being altered due to forest fragmentation. A combination of carrot and stick policies has lowered deforestation rates since the mid 1990s. From 42% forest cover in 1997, it increased to 47% in 2000, 51.4% in 2005 and 52.3% by 2010 according to the National Forest Fund (Fonafifo).
Nevertheless, the long-term effectiveness of these policies have not been evaluated, especially in light of the recent boom of some agricultural commodities (i.e. pineapple) in productive landscapes that border mature forests and areas of natural regeneration. A more cost effective and efficient mechanism to monitor land use change in the context of commodity expansion has become strategic need of this country.
Costa Rica’s Pineapple expansion and land use change monitoring
Fagan et al, 2013, used Landsat satellite imagery to assess whether deforestation for conversion to pasture and cropland decreased in the lowlands of northern Costa Rica following the 1996 ban on forest clearing . They concluded that although pineapple is not responsible for encroachment into mature forests, it is impeding natural regeneration, and is a current threat to wetlands. Young fallows have been cleared quickly since 1996, a pattern attributed to farmers’ reluctance to allow land to approach the successional stage which meets the legal definition of forest. Intensive agriculture has expanded into a number of natural habitats other than legally protected forests, including native reforestation and wetlands.
This coincides with national data collected from the Costa Rican Administrative Environmental Tribunal on violations of environmental legislation by pineapple producers in 2012. Up to 56% of the breaches of environmental legislation are related to illegal logging, land use change, affectation of protection areas, these may be framed as land and forest degradation (Table 1). During 2011, one out of 10 complaints presented to the Environmental Administrative Tribunal were related to pineapple farm encroachment into wetlands .
Breaches of Environmental Legislation by Pineapple Farms 2012 Number of cases being analyzed
Affectation of protection areas 24
Illegal Logging 7
Water contamination 16
Illegal land use change 11
Erosion 7
Affectation of wetlands 6
Lack of environmental permits 2
Bad management of farm waste 12
Table 1: Breaches of Environmental Legislation by Pineapple Farms 2012
Source: Administrative Environmental Tribunal (2014)
REDD+ and the Challenges to reduce deforestation from Commodities
One international tool to reduce the commodity related drivers of deforestation is REDD+. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD +) is an international effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development.
REDD is also about making the private sector part of the solution by providing the kinds of market signals, mechanisms and incentives to encourage investments that manage and conserve the world’s nature-based resources. The core of actions related to REDD+ have centered on how to create a financial value for the carbon stored in trees, so once it is assessed and quantified, developed countries will eventually pay developing countries carbon offsets for their standing forests. In consequence, REDD+ initiatives currently invest in the development of measuring and monitoring systems that assess the amount of carbon stored in their forests for these eventual transactions through REDD.
However, the role of the private sector to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation may be pursued through other means besides a carbon offset market. Agricultural commodity buyers can avoid purchasing from suppliers with proven deforestation responsibility.
Land Use Change Monitoring System to Inform Purchasing Policies of Commodity Buyers
Although international buyers may be willing to modify purchasing policies to avoid purchasing commodities from suppliers who have caused deforestation, they need a credible tool before taking any action that may jeopardize pre-existing arrangements with suppliers. It is in this context UNDP’s Energy and Environment Group has suggested the development of a land use change monitoring tool to inform commodity purchasing policies of buyers.
This tool has been conceived as system consisting of several components:
a) The periodic collection and/ or purchasing of satellite imagery (or other remote sensing technology) from productive landscapes in Costa Rica that suffer from agricultural encroachment into natural habitat.
b) The periodic processing of this information to identify specific crops (i.e. pineapple) and natural habitat (protection zones, wetlands, protected areas, riverine strips, etc).
c) The comparison of processed images in time-lapse to identify agricultural encroachment into natural habitat or natural regeneration and biological connectivity in particular areas.
d) The tracing of identified encroachments of productive into natural habitat, or of increased vegetation cover, to specific pineapple producers supplying to the international market.
e) The updating of the processed information of land use change onto a an online site of public access so to inform buyers of producers who are generating positive results in terms of natural regeneration, or those who are responsible for natural habitat elimination.
f) A public mechanism for disclosure of information about how the purchasing policies of buyers were positively or negatively affected through the use of the land use change monitoring system.
Existing remote sensing, geoinformatics technology, and in-country ortophotographic interpretation capabilities allow for productive landscapes to be analyzed with a combination of at least two applications anywhere in the planet. In parallel, developing countries like Costa Rica have made significant efforts to improve land tenure registries to trace agricultural plots that have caused deforestation or degradation to specific land owners through ortophotographic monitoing of land encroachment into natural habitat. For buyers, access to information to support purchasing decisions that may reduce reputational risk, represent a smaller financial commitment than an eventual purchase carbon offsets and so, an opportunity.
Long-term solution and barriers to consolidating forest protection and commodity production within the same landscape.
The proposed public monitoring of land use change may be tested in this context. Costa Rican pineapple plantations identified through ortophotography are relatively traceable to owners due to a long standing public registry of land tenure is tracing property with geographically, specifically as the National System for territorial Information (SNIT) has completed tenure coverage for most rural areas in the country. In addition, Costa Rican environmental legislation obliges pineapple plantations to carry out and Environmental Impact Assessment before they begin operations. These EIA include GIS location of farms.
Costa Rican pineapple supplies more than 50% of fresh produce consumed in Europe, and the most significant point of entry is The Netherlands. Dutch retailers have been involved in a dialogue with Costa Rican pineapple supply chain stakeholders and UNDP since 2011 through the National Platform for Responsible Production and Trade of Pineapple, a multi-sectoral and inter-institutional effort to propose solutions to improve environmental and social performance of the crop, between 2013 and 2017. Dutch traders have also agreed to only purchase sustainable fresh fruit by 2020. This is an ideal enabling environment to explore REDD+ related systems complementary to the mandatory MRV for a future carbon offset market.
UNDP’s Green Commodities Programme and UNEP Financial Initiative, are implementing a global project to assist UN-REDD Programme partner countries engage the private sector in strategies to reduce deforestation and degradation from agricultural commodities. Administratively, in Costa Rica this initiative is operating under the Low Emission Climate Development Strategy project.
In this context, a feasibility study for the set-up of a public monitoring of land use change within productive landscapes of Costa Rica, to reduce degradation and deforestation through selective purchasing strategies would generate valuable information for the future development of the suggested system. The study will test and develop protocols for the suggested land use change monitoring tool so that it may monitor encroachment of commodity encroachment into natural habitat as well as non-compliance with environmental legislation within a target productive landscape in the country.
The Caribbean region of Costa Rica, counties of Guácimo, Pococí, Siquirres has seen a significant growth in pineapple plantations during the past 10 years. The above mentioned counties will be used for this feasibility study.
C. Scope of Services, Expected Outputs and Target Completion
Major activities expected to be undertaken by Service Provider:
a) Conduct a rapid appraisal of land use monitoring tools and services available for Costa Rica (including open source and paid, with emphasis on high resolution and making specific reference about how each tool/service may be affected by cloud cover). Include in the appraisal a specific assessment of RapidEye Landsat data and its viability for long term monitoring of local land use change in Costa Rica.
b) Define an appropriate resolution and periodicity for data collection, analysis and reporting according to land use change dynamics related to the cycle of production of pineapple within the counties of Guacimo, Pococí and Siquirres, Limon Province, Costa Rica. The hired firm will provide imagery services of an area of 18 km2 distributed through three specific polygons that will be agreed on a map with UNDP the first week of work.
Note: The polygons will suggested depending on availability of national cadaster information
According to the National System of Territorial Information (SNIT), presence of wetlands and
protected areas and Natural Patrimony of the State according to SINAC maps.
c) Estimate land use change in the target polygons for the period 2012-2014, using imagery on record as well as two month monitoring of that area, to be conducted during the period of the consultancy.
The estimation will be based on an analysis of changes in area of the following spectral signatures, within the target area.
o Natural Patrimony of the State (According to SINAC databases on wetlands and protected areas provided to UNDP)
o Information of water catchment areas and aquifers (provided by AyA to UNDP)
o Superficial and deep wells (provided by SENARA to UNDP)
o Pineapple plantations (based on a spectral signature)
o Forest Cover
o Water surfaces
d) Conduct processing and classification of images/photos (according to task b) in order to identify specific land tenants who own land were the following 12 types of land use infringement by pineapple plantations can be identified:
i. Expanded pineapple plantations within the Natural Patrimony of the state.
ii. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection zone of rivers and streams comprising a strip at least fifteen meters measured horizontally on both sides on the banks of rivers, creeks or streams if the terrain is flat.
iii. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection area (of vegetation) 100 meters between the crops and permanent watersources.
iv. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection area (of vegetation) of 60 or 50 meters between the crop and intermittent watersources.
v. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection area (of vegetation) of 200 meters between the crop and the sources of water collected.
vi. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection area (of vegetation) of area 50 meters measured horizontally along the banks of lakes and reservoirs and natural lakes or artificial reservoirs built by the state and its institutions.
vii. Invasion pineapple plantation into aquifer recharge of springs, whose boundaries will be determined by the competent organs of the State to be provided by UNDP.
viii. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection area (of vegetation) of 60 meters from springs that are born in the hills
ix. Pineapple plantations that do not possess a protection area (of vegetation) of at least 50 meters from the water-springs born on flat land.
x. Pineapple plantations with retirement areas of less than 50 meters between plantations and wetlands (ponds, lakes and natural or artificial reservoirs built by the state).
xi. Pineapple plantations with protection areas of less than 15 meters between plantations and bodies (lakes, ponds, reservoirs, estuaries, creeks, rivers and streams), and water sources).
xii. Pineapple plantations with protection areas of less than 40 meters from perforated wells.
e) Estimate total land area for pineapple within the target area (polygons).
f) Systematize the experience of processing of imagery/photographs for the target area and develop a protocol for future processing and classification of imagery for the suggested Land Use Change Monitoring Tool being developed
g) Identify information gaps in target area (i.e. due to cloud cover, or inexistence of imagery data) and propose and cost at least two alternative methods for reducing uncertainty and increasing completeness of data for an eventual yearly land use change monitoring system (e.g. UAV)
h) Estimate the cost of the acquisition and processing of imagery/photographs in order to have a regular identification of tenants who own land were any of the 12 types of land use infringement by pineapple plantations identified above. The cost estimation should be done for the following scenarios:
o Processing of information to identify tenants who have infringed land use change and environmental regulations, considering all the required hardware, software and services required to offer results once a year.
o Processing of information to identify tenants who have infringed land use change and environmental regulations, considering all the required hardware, software and services required to offer results twice a year.
Expected outputs
1. Report with baseline information about existing services and tools for land use monitoring available for Costa Rica. The report should categorize if open source or paid, levels of resolution and describe how suitable each tool is for monitoring land use change tied to land tenancy in Costa Rica assessing factors such as potential cloud cover in the country. The report will include a cost-benefit analysis of local monitoring options as well as an assessment of specific tools such as RapidEye and Landsat.
2. A Report estimating land use change for the selected polygons in the counties of Guacimo, Pococí and Siquirres 2012-2014 in km2. The report will identify the fourteen types of land use infringement identified on item (d) above to be presented in a friendly format that may be then be processed by through the National System of Territorial Information.
a. Pineapple encroachment into natural habitat not protected by the State.
b. Registry numbers and names of land tenants were an infringement to environment legislation has been identified.
3. Cost-benefit analysis of alternatives for the operation of the land use monitoring system tied to land tenancy and propose the most cost-efficient option for the country.
4. Protocol for processing and classification of satellite imagery to be conducted on a yearly basis within the target area in relation to pineapple plantations.
E. Institutional Arrangement
a) The service provider will work under the joint supervision of the UNDP Environment Officer in Costa Rica, the Global Head of the Green Commodities Programme, based at the UNDP regional Centre in Panamá, and the Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) expert from the UN REDD Strategy Project of the Costa Rican National Forest Fund (FONAFIFO). All consultancy outputs must be approved by the three supervisors. A brief progress report is expected every month on behalf of the service provider, with a thorough final report at the end of the consultancy.
b) Liaison and interaction: The service provider is expected to liaise with the following national institutions throughout the development of the consultancy, in particular regarding the collection of data to test traceability of pineapple providers from :
o National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
o Ministry of Environment and Energy- Environmental Information Services (MINAE)
o Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG)
o Environment Tribunal of Costa Rica (TTA)
o Costa Rican National Forest Fund (FONAFIFO)
F. Duration of the Work
The duration of the consultancy is 5 months. Ideally all activities should have been conducted by the end of 2014. Preference will be given to bidders who may deliver by December 2014.
G. Location of Work
The services shall be provided in San José Costa Rica. The service provider will determine the necessary field work to conduct the consultancy.
H. Qualifications of the Successful Service Provider at Various Levels
• At least two, but ideally more than 10 previous consultancy services provided to public sector institutions in Central America of corrected remote sensing information processing (between 2012-2014).
• At least two, but ideally more than 10 previous consultancy services provided to public sector institutions in Costa Rica of corrected remote sensing information processing (Rising controls on field, triangulation services, ortho-correction, contrast, balance and mosaicking) for Costa Rican forests.
• Access to and previous consultancy working processing imagery from any of the following satellites: Rapid Eye, Quick Bird, World View I & ii, TerraSar X, Geo Eye 1, Ikonos, SPOT
• Previous service GIS consultancy work conducted in Costa Rica for one of the following institutions:
o National Geographical Institute (IGN)
o National System for Conservation Areas (SINAC)
o National Forestry Fund (FONAFIFO)
• Lead Consultant has over 10 years of experience providing satellite imagery processing services in the Central American region:
I. Scope of Proposal Price and Schedule of Payments
a) The contract price is a fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specific duration.
b) The cost components to be included by the Proposer must include in the contract price (e.g., purely professional fee, or inclusive of travel, living allowances, taxes, and the cost of any workshops to be held as part of the services).
c) The entire consultancy will be paid with once the following proposer key outputs are completed and approved:
• Approved Work Plan (30% of total payment)
• Preliminary Report with baseline information about existing services and tools for land use monitoring available for Costa Rica. (20% of total payment)
• A Report estimating land use change for the counties of Guacimo, Pococí and Siquirres 2012-2014 in km2. The report will identify the fourteen types of land use infringement identified on item (d) above to be presented in a friendly format that may be then be processed by through the National System of Territorial Information. . (20% of total payment)
• A Cost-benefit analysis of alternatives for the operation of the land use monitoring system tied to land tenancy and propose the most cost-efficient option for the country. (20% of total payment)
• Protocol for estimating land use change and forest cover loss tied to land tenancy, to be conducted on a yearly basis within the target area in relation to pineapple (10% of total payment).
J. Recommended Presentation of Proposal
For purposes of generating proposals, proposer should use the guide provided in Section 6.
K. Criteria for Selecting the Best Offer
This section should indicate the full list of criteria which shall serve as basis for evaluating proposals and awarding the contract, and the respective weight of each criteria. A General guide has been provided in DS No. 32 of the RFP Data Sheet.
It must also indicate if the award will be done in either of the following manner: Combined Scoring method – where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a maximum of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30%. |