| Overview : There are three recently established Marine Management Area (MMA) Conservation Zones and three existing terrestrial protected areas units in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Only the Central Forest Reserve National Park was established primarily for ecological conservation, and there are no legally declared terrestrial protected areas on the island of Nevis. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) investment, through the Conserving Biodiversity and reducing habitat degradation in Protected Areas and their areas of influence Project (Conserving Biodiversity Project), will expand the protected areas system from two terrestrial sites totaling 5,260 hectares to four terrestrial sites totaling 8,810 hectares and three marine sites totaling 11,693 hectares, The project will further enable support for improved ecosystem representation in the protected areas system through the establishment of these new conservation / protected areas, strengthening of the institutional, policy and legal/regulatory frameworks development of sustainable finance mechanisms and the establishment and strengthening of protected areas management operations at key sites. However, for effective support for conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems of national, regional and global significance, there needs to be appropriate and sufficient data to inform effective decision-making. The purpose of this consultancy is to carry out a gender responsive socio-economic / livelihood (existing and proposed) assessment of the communities in and around SKN protected areas, identify livelihood needs and opportunities that also support protected area objectives and conservation, bearing in mind the resources upon which they depend, and lastly, develop financial plans for 3 terrestrial protected area sites and 3 MMA Conservation Zones that incorporate livelihood needs, identify and meet the financial needs of the sites that accommodate visitor growth and PA institutional management expansion. |
